“There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level.” - Bruce Lee
I’m writing this more for myself than anything, but if you are reading it, I hope it can give you some inspiration as well.
My name is Beau, I’m 31 and I’m from Hawaii (although I am currently in Wisconsin now after being in Japan for two years).
I am blessed with a beautiful wife and 11-month old son. My young son has really grounded me, I think, and I am more focused on what’s important now more than ever.
I recently read a really poignant newsletter/blog post from The Simple Dollar, called “Dreams, Big and Little“. As a new parent, this post really floored me:
One of the best parts of my own childhood was the constant understanding that my mother would be there for me if I were ill. I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I’d be at home in a comfortable place and that I’d feel safe.
When I had my first child, it became clear to me that I couldn’t offer such a guarantee of security to my children, not with the career I once had. It bothered me a lot. I know that there are a lot of working parents who simply can’t offer such a thing, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t bother an awful lot of them.
It pushed me to start making some radical changes in my life in terms of how I spent my time and how I spent my money. I started looking for paths to a new career, not because I disliked my old job (I didn’t) and not because I wanted to earn a mint, but because I wanted to have the ability to be there during these moments.
It was that sentiment that led, in a lot of ways, to The Simple Dollar.
In the scope of things, it was a little dream.
I am focused. I am motivated. I too have a little dream.
I have had my own business (either on my own with partners) for the better part of four years. While on the JET Programme in Japan, I did business part-time at nights when I got home. Before that and since I’ve been back, I’ve spent my time on different projects and have had a fair amount of success. However, I feel like I’ve hit a plateau professionally. I’ve grown comfortable with what I have because it’s been enough.
I’m not going to change my career. Rather, I’m in the process of searching for a suitable position where I can thrive and which can afford me the ability to be there financially for my wife and son – a position where “enough” is never good enough.
I’m ready to work for an organization where I can make a significant contribution, one that will continually push beyond my plateaus, and one that will nurture and support my little dream.