Giving Thanks
I have lived most of my life intrinsically motivated to contribute.
But when I say contribute, I mean be bought in, invested, pouring myself into my work. Whether that was school, sports, or my job I took on more and willed the team to success. My mentality was my success is the team’s success and by extension, the company’s.
That mentality helped me excel, but a funny thing happened. I realized how dangerous that was. Relying on others to act the same, think the same, be as selfless.
So I began to retract and shift my relentless focus on an endeavor wholly owned by me, Keaton Beyer Woodworking.
I stopped volunteering, let others lead, and took a big step back to spend my time where I saw potential.
It started with a mentality shift, from salary being tied to my worth. A silly number on a piece of paper was my worth. An unhealthy, short term outlook.
Then one day I was sitting at my desk looking at a retirement calculator. That calculator told me my life would change at 62 years old, so I daydreamed.
What would 62 look like?
First, a retirement party, surrounded by loved ones celebrating my life’s accomplishments with a nice commemorative watch given to me by my workplace as a way to thank me for my years of dedicated service.
Then I saw those people walking away smiling, thinking how lucky I was to get to this point in my life where I finally was able to pursue my passions.
And that gave me pause.
I was “finally being able to pursue my passions” at 62, after I had given my most productive years to furthering someone else’s dream I am “gifted” a few years to learning a skill I’ve always wanted to try.
Seems like a bad trade.
That’s when I was reminded of the documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi. If you are unfamiliar with the film the story follows a sushi restaurant owner in Japan who has dedicated his life to perfecting his craft. His entire existence is sushi, from sourcing the ingredients to preparation down to the way the sushi is presented all the way down to dictating how his customers consume his sushi. Jiro’s life is dedicated to a passion.
And that’s when I realized I needed to start spending time on my craft, to begin honing my skills now because if I wait I’ll never be able to live up to my full potential.
So here I sit, staring at a partially constructed table with a list of future projects piled next to my keyboard while I watch ambitious coworkers volunteer for special projects, snapping up those sought after advancement opportunities. And I’m okay with that because I get to focus my time and energy where it should go, on me.
I have been at this woodworking endeavor for just over two years and am still working two full time jobs in an attempt to keep my bills in check while I pour my energy into a my business. A business barely scraping by, but a business with high potential to create a happier human being, to inspire others to follow, and to take me down a bright path.
I’ll end by giving thanks, after all it is that time of year. Thank you to you, the reader, the follower, the subscriber, the supporter who is helping me make this dream come true.