—
When 7:45 AM rolls around I become the happiest and less stressed out person you will meet today.
My journey of quitting a job for a “potential” job could be perceived as ludicrous or utilitarian. You can judge me on my leap of faith and that does not matter to me at all. What does matter is what my family thinks of me.
That is where the 7:45 Am comes into play. Around that time is when my wife leaves for her job. I feel the stress float away because I have not proved to her that my decision to quit was the correct one.
Maybe first I need to actually prove it to myself that this was best for our family. Was it?
Self-doubt is life’s version of “buyer’s remorse.”
This has been another week of when my wife and I are in the house together we do not talk. Last week I had mentioned that she had stopped wearing her wedding ring. I started that practice too. It does physically feel strange not having the ring on.
Men, we need to show that when we decide to do something that we believe in, we do it as well. Our partners want to see the confidence all the way down to our soul. This is NOT the “fake it till you make it” philosophy. This is the lesson I am currently going through.
My leap of faith was very self-centered. I did not have a one-on-one with my wife at all. Yes, it was an emotional decision, and I have to own up to it. The lesson here—not just for men but couples in general—have those tough talks. Place your cards on the table and have an honest dialog. If you two are real partners then the talks will not be easy, but again they will be honest.
◊♦◊
This weekend at church the service was a little different. Normally there is the choir (praise and worship) for the first half hour and then our Pastor speaks for the next half of service. This weekend we had two special guest leading service. Let me get real and say I attend church solely for the message or at least try to hear a message. My wife is in the choir, and she is very much into the music.
Jason Roy and Rhett Walker are two great storytellers as well as singers. These two lead our church service. Don’t tell anyone but their heartfelt stories and music had me choked up. What really resonated with me was the story that Jason told about getting an opportunity for he and his band to go on a major tour. The caveat to the story and for me why it was so powerful was hearing how he has his own struggles of faith.
The story that Jason told inspired me from the point that you and I have a greater purpose. The story goes a little like this: Jason wanted to call it a music career and had lined up a new job as a pastor in a church. His wife felt that he was not making the right choice and asked him to really think about this idea of stopping. Jason said to us that he had two demands for God to prove that he and the band should keep going. I felt that we have all done this game of “telling” God VS Listening.
The line from one of the CD programs I use to help with goal achieving is from Darren Hardy. He says in the “Living Your Best Year Ever” is “to make God chuckle tell him your plans”. Meaning that there is a plan for you and yes, we do not always see it in front of us. In my view is why the thought is to be more of spending time listening than talking.
Jason had two demands to God:
1. Have a number one hit record (he did mention it had been I think 10 years since his first hit).
2. To land on the Winter Jam tour
Are you thinking that he was trying to set himself up? That was my thought. Jason was in my view giving up to play life small.
You can watch the service and the link that I embedded into the story here. I do not want to bore you because Jason tells his own story better then I can relate it to you. What I want to say is that yes, he did get a song to the top of the charts and yes, the band was selected for the tour but one big issue.
The issue was that they were only getting paid $1000 per show. The bus they use to tour in takes gas, a lot for a tour. All of a sudden, the band got what they wanted but could end up being broke at the same time. There was a “higher power” to help. The higher power is the merchandising. The sales of their merchandise were able to help them pay for the fuel needed to stay on the tour.
◊♦◊
Personally, each and every day my hope is like being an actor or model working someplace or just walking in public: and then they get “discovered.” Is that realistic?
Have you ever read “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill? There is a story early in the book about a gentleman who almost became a Millionaire but he quit. He was drilling for gold at the time of the “Gold Rush” and was actually doing well. He was getting some nuggets but thought that the gold had run out where he was mining but if he had not quit and drilled three feet more his life would have changed.
This past couple of weeks I have not been sleeping well because of the guilt of quitting. My wife and I each have stopped wearing our wedding rings, and my depression is starting to drift back into my head.
Many of the good things that were going on have dried up and deep down my thought is it is time to quit. My quit means to just land a day job and stop with the thinking I could be an entrepreneur as a writer or speaker.
I am mentally and physically tired. Today I was not able to avoid 7:45 because I got up when my wife’s alarm went off. We talked. Well, it was more her talking and me shutting down emotionally. I need a plan or maybe try something else.
Should I try to do what Jason did with his two demands? OK, God! Here are just two simple demands, I mean request, and if they do not get met this week then I promise to give up being an entrepreneur and the leap of faith is over:
1. Two new paid coaching clients
2. Sell 10 copies of our coloring book.
That is it. I am not asking to win the lottery, become an overnight billionaire or win a bottle of Silver Oak wine.
—
What’s your take on what you just read? Comment below or write a response and submit to us your own point of view or reaction here at the red box, below, which links to our submissions portal.
◊♦◊
Sign up for our Writing Prompts email to receive writing inspiration in your inbox twice per week.
If you believe in the work we are doing here at The Good Men Project, please join us as a Premium Member, today.
All Premium Members get to view The Good Men Project with NO ADS.
A $50 annual membership gives you an all-access pass. You can be a part of every call, group, class, and community.
A $25 annual membership gives you access to one class, one Social Interest group, and our online communities.
A $12 annual membership gives you access to our Friday calls with the publisher, our online community.
Register New Account
Need more info? A complete list of benefits is here.
—
Photo credit: Getty Images
—