The past year of my life has been insane. Good insane. But insane.
Through it all, I’ve learned so much about myself, what I’m capable of, my flaws and my strengths. Chicago has embraced me with open arms and I have made incredible friendships and connections that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
I am extremely grateful I’ve ended up where I am. To say that I never thought I would be where I am right now – at 24 years old – is an understatement. I remember sitting in my cubicle a little more than a year ago, writing for Life Without Pants, wondering if I could ever actually enjoy work, wondering what I was going to do with my life…
If you know me well, you know I’m the type of person who always has to have a ‘project’. That project can be personal or professional – but one of my greatest fears is not having that ‘something’ on the horizon, that BHAG in the distance to accomplish, an obstacle to overcome. Complacency isn’t in my DNA, sitting stagnant isn’t something I’ve ever done.
So here I am, married, running my own business…wondering what’s next…
To ‘cut to the chase’, I’m packing my things, pursuing a new business endeavor, and moving BACK to where it all began, back to where I spent the first 23 years of my life. Nashville, here I come. September 1st, to be exact…
This was not an easy decision by any means. A lot of thought went into this over the past several months, but for my wife and I, we’re moving to a place that feels more like home – more “us”. We’re moving to a place where I see a lot of opportunity for myself, and most importantly, we’re moving to a place where my better half can purse HER passions.
Chicago…what can I say? There are so (so) many great people here that I have had the extreme pleasure of meeting, working with, and calling friends. To all of you who have sat down and listened to me ramble and rant over coffee or a drink, to those who meet with me regularly on my Tuesday’s in the city, I can’t tell you how much I’ll miss that and how important this past year has been to me.
For me, for my wife and I…this is the next chapter. It’s bittersweet and extremely exciting all at the same time…we’re leaving a lot behind and coming face to face with a ton of new opportunity and potential.
And…that’s that. Turning the page to chapter 2, or whatever chapter we’re on at this point. If you’re in Chicago, let’s please get together for a cup of coffee or a beer before I ship out of town in a couple weeks. If you’re in Nashville, keep the seat warm for me…I’ll be there soon…