Years ago, my son Andrew and I were at dinner and I asked, “Going to VA Tech for Homecoming?”
He shrugged, “Nah, I’m exhausted.”
Exhausted?! I’d never heard fit, athletic, upbeat Andrew use that word before!
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Mom, I want to quit. I’m making good money, but wearing a suit, working in a high-rise, and making cold calls all day isn’t what I want to do with my life.”
“What do you want to do?”
“I want to start a nonprofit.”
A cautious voice in my head whispered, “What about health insurance?!” But I pushed it aside and said, “Andrew, you’ve always been entrepreneurial. If you put your mind to it, I know you can make this work.”
Did he have experience? No. Did he know how to get funding? No. But he took action. He GTS’d it (Google’d That Stuff). Step-by-step, he learned what to do, saved money, and rented a coworking desk.
On his first day, a colleague walked by. “Whatcha working on?”
“Applying for a grant, but the paperwork is a nightmare.”
“We got one last month—happy to share our application so you don’t have to start from scratch.”
Another day, someone else asked, “You look frustrated. What’s up?”
“Trying to get permission to host an event at a lake, but no one at Parks & Rec will return my calls.”
“Oh, my friend Mike works there. Here’s his number—tell him I sent you.”
Two months later, twenty kids with disabilities had a once-in-a-lifetime day on adaptive water skis. As I watched from shore, a mom next to me had tears streaming down her face.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“More than okay. That’s my son they’re helping into the boat. He’s… smiling. I haven’t seen him smile in months.”
Fifteen years later, Dreams for Kids DC (now So Kids SOAR) is still changing lives—all because Andrew turned uncertainty into clarity by taking the first step.
ACTION
Do you want a more fulfilling future? Feeling stuck & unsure of your next step?
Always connect: Identify people who inspire and challenge you to grow, and then, reach out to them! Not with a request, just to genuinely connect.
Break it down: Take a moment to break up what you want into smaller steps and take one action today to move toward it.
P.S. Want help to turn your NOW into an even better NEXT? If so, you may enjoy my upcoming CLARITY WEEKEND at my home in Austin, TX. Reply here for info.