For a few years now, I’ve been grouching about how I’ve been getting up at 5:00 AM for what seems a lifetime. I started at age 11, with my first paper route. I delivered papers M – Sa, on my bike, in all weather.
Somehow, that habit stuck, and all these years later, I’m still up at 5:00. I keep saying I want to semi-retire — not so I can work less, but so I can sleep in a bit.
At the same time, I’ve been tracking my progress to a milestone: Today marks my 27th year being in business for myself. I’ve been giving this milestone a great deal of thought for several weeks.
- Did I have any regrets?
- What advice would I have given my 35 year old self?
- What wisdom do I have to share with others?
- What was the one thing that made all the difference?
I finally realized I made it here due to one reason: I got up every morning and went to work. Good times, bad times, stress, no stress, too much to do, not enough to do, feeling tired, feeling good — no matter what, I still got up and kept moving forward.
Someone once asked, “What gets you up each day? Your office is literally steps from where you sleep. You don’t have to shower or dress, do a commute, or deal with a boss.”
Ah, but that’s the “secret.” I do dress, my commute these days is walking Rocky, and my boss has always been my goals and dreams.
“Dreams are gifts we give ourselves.”
And with that, I’m spending the day as I would any other: telling my clients’ stories through marketing — which I still love and do quite well. And yes, I’m still up at 5:00 AM each day.
Filed under: Behind the Scenes
A second milestone: Rocky is three years old!
The year between age two and age three for a German Shepherd is quite different from puppyhood and adolescence.
Rocky has calmed down considerably, plus he’s now all trained up. When we go for walks, he’s right by my side — and looks to me for direction. We’re able to walk calmly by other dogs and people.
In short, he’s a delightful dog and all the time, energy, and money I spent on training has paid off. I’m very happy.
