This is an important read for anyone who is seeking value and purpose in life and being but feel steered in a direction that seems right on paper but in reality leaves you feeling hollow
Like Kevin I dabbled in the high level corporate world but learned quick that it was going to kill my soul piece by piece if I didnāt have a fast exit strategyā¦
June 11, 2018. Day 1.
Eight years ago today, we moved to Colorado to reboot our lives.
We look happy⦠but behind the smiles was a lot of pain and uncertainty:
āOur marriage was struggling
āI was the most disillusioned Iāve ever been
āThe kids didnāt ask to have their lives disrupted
āI had walked away from an 8-figure sum of money
I had no real plan for the future. What I did know was that I needed something different. I had a strong hunch that being in my happy place would give us a fresh start.
My wife was skeptical, but willing to take a leap of faith. (The trust was earnedāI hadnāt steered the family wrong in 20 years of marriage.)
On paper, this move made no sense. I had checked all the boxes that define success in modern society. From the outside, we were living the dream.
But it wasnāt my version of success. I vividly remember sitting in my executive office in Dallas, looking out the window, and thinking, āWhat the F am I doing here?ā
Hard things are hard. Thereās never a good time to make bold moves. Especially when you have millions of reasons to maintain the status quo. Thatās why most people never do it.
Fast forward eight yearsā¦
Our reboot was far from easy, but it was the best decision Iāve ever made.
I have the best life of anyone I know (despite being a lot less rich than I could have been). Iāve literally spent 1,000 days outside instead of in an office. That adds up to massive wealth in experiences.
My wife feels the same way. She has hiked 47 of Coloradoās 58 fourteeners and is glad we made the move.
Our marriage is in the best place itās ever been. We recently became empty nesters and are having fun planning another mini-reboot to take advantage of our newfound freedom.
Our kids have thrived. The adventures I dreamed about as a kid are normal days for them. More importantly, theyāve watched Mom and Dad live the family motto:
"Dahlstroms invest in experiences."
Life is never perfect, but I finally built the one that I (the real me) wanted. So hereās my message to you:
You can do the same.
But only if you muster the courage to make bold, scary moves. There will never be a good time to do it. And there are no guarantees it will work out.
But one thingās for sure:
Youāll never discover what could be if you donāt try.
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P.S. My hope is that this story inspires at least one person to make their move. If you enjoyed this post, would you give it a like and repost and let me know in the comments?