26 and Lost.

Last week was my 26th birthday. Where does the time go?

My little brother and I share the same birthday, 4 years apart.

I’m certainly not where I thought i’d be. Frankly, I would’ve never imagined myself where I am today. Growing up, my life revolved around sports, basketball in particular. From the age of 10 years old, I had a trainer. Not just any trainer either. My trainer, (Jerry Powell) has trained the likes of LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Paul George, and numerous others. I remember getting picked up early from grade school and going straight to the gym to workout. My “school days” weren’t the same as my peers. Grades were important — I guess? but my main focus was basketball. I didn’t realize it when I was young, but later on it became clear that if I did not get a scholarship, my parents were not going to pay for me to attend a good college.

Now that i’m 26 and hindsight is 20/20, I realize the sacrifice that was made in order for me to become who I am today. My parents spent thousands of dollars on my training from a young age, put me on numerous teams, and made sure that I had the best possible opportunity to earn a scholarship. I attended 3 different high schools, and played on too many travel teams to count. In the fall of my second year at boarding school, the call finally came. I received a scholarship to play division 1 basketball at Marist College and this effectively changed my whole life. It was a major burden lifted off of my shoulders, as well as my parents. They no longer had to worry about me getting a college education, or how I would make it through the next phase of my life. By having me so deeply involved in the sport of basketball from a young age, deep down, they knew that the return on their investment could be tenfold — and it was.

But where do I go from here?

I played division 1 basketball, went overseas to play professional, and now i’m working in corporate America in Midtown Manhattan. I constantly tell myself that I do not belong here. I look to the left and to the right of myself and I’m less knowledgable than all of my peers when it comes to the technical aspects involved with the work firms do in the corporate world.

One thing I do know, God does not make mistakes.

I’m where I am for a reason and although things are blurry right now, I believe this is part of the lord’s ultimate plan for my life.

The uncertainty i’m currently facing comes with the unfulfillment that i’m feeling due to the mundane day to day tasks that come with my job each day. I know I’m meant for more, I know God has more in store for me, but where do I go from here?

I have big ideas — life changing ideas boiling inside of me, waiting to be put out to the world, but when?

The uniqueness of my journey is assurance that I am built for more.

At the age of 26, my gifts are now apparent to me. I’m a connector, I’m a people person, I’m encouraging, I work hard, I’m dependable — I am able to speak to and connect with people from diverse backgrounds because I’ve seen it all. Being born and raised on the “bad side” of Huntington Station, Long Island, I grew up and took the yellow bus to school with guys who went on to be locked up behind bars, but, I also went to boarding school and became close friends with the son of someone who served as CEO of T-Mobile. My experiences are different, and I know God will use me, but how?

I know I am not the only one facing this uncertainty in life, but I do know that God has a plan for us all. 2021 is now here, and although we don’t know what lies ahead, we do know that we cannot give up.