I vividly remember the moment this happened to me. I had been fired from my first professional job. This was not the first time I had been let go. This was now a pattern and the common denominator, was me.
I found another job. 2400 miles away. Where no one knew me. I packed my car with all of my belongings, put the key in the ignition, pointed the car west, and said goodbye.
I didn’t just say goodbye to that job, that town, that state, and those people. I said goodbye to that version of myself. I was embarrassed, upset, angry, and mad. At me. I let people down. I didn’t listen. I didn’t learn. My operating system was broken. It was missing something. It was missing accountability.
On that 3 day drive across I-90 where it was just the highway, open spaces, big skies, and no one to talk to but myself, I vowed not to be that person anymore. To take initiative. To outwork others. To volunteer. To put in the hours. To rebuild my soul.
And that is what I did. I was so sick of failing. I was sick of blaming others for what was clearly my shortcomings. I was 25 years old, and I was starting over. It’s one of the most important things to happen to me and I am so proud that I made the right decision that day, to change.