Rest.

The past couple months have felt like a blur. Whether it be early mornings and long nights in the office, or weekends in the Hamptons, this summer has put me in unfamiliar territory.

How did I get here?

Being an opportunist has it’s ups as well as it’s downs.

Months ago, as I was thinking about where I was in my life, and where I wanted to be, I knew I had to make a change. It was extremely uncomfortable at the time, but I knew that if I wanted to make a leap, I couldn’t do it while being comfortable.

February 2021, I decided to start going back into the office for work. It was at a time when being in the office was not mandatory, and also at a time when working from the comfort of my studio apartment was my preference. I didn’t have to impress anyone, see anyone, or talk to anyone I didn’t want to talk to. As an introvert, this was my ideal situation.

I was scheduled for a promotion in 10 months, but because I struggle to live in the moment, I felt as though I needed to begin working towards that promotion as opposed to waiting. After a conversation with my mentor, he told me that I was ready to make the leap now to which I was unsure of, but felt inspired by. For me to make the leap, I knew it would require sacrifice — the biggest one being my comfort.

I decided to start going into the workplace 4 days per week, and not only going into the workplace, but sitting right in front of the offices where our leadership team worked from. At a time when majority of my colleagues were working from home, I thought it was important to sacrifice comfort, for visibility which led to impromptu conversations, and myself building relationships with the decision makers at the company.

Three months later, I found myself being promoted 7 months ahead of schedule.

The second decision I was faced with came after months of following up with Robert Johnson, a man I hold in high regard, and a man that has been fortunate enough to comfortably position himself amongst the 1% in the world. After meeting Robert at a labor day dinner party in 2020, we exchanged contacts, planned to meet, but had our plans delayed due to Covid. Knowing that this relationship was one that could change the course of my life, I persisted in staying in touch, and Robert and I found ourselves on zoom several months after initially meeting. We talked about what I was up to, and about us getting together to meet in person. It wasn’t until Robert mentioned that his daughters had just started playing basketball that the opportunity became clear to me. “I train kids in basketball, i’d love to work with them.” I said.

A couple weeks later, Ethan’s family allowed me to stay with them for the weekend in South Hampton.

I arrived at Ethan’s on a Friday, woke up and headed to Robert’s house Saturday morning, trained the girls and their friend Zachary, had lunch together, and then I headed home.

Fast forward 5 months later, and I have now spent 6 weekends in East Hampton, and am coming off a dinner party where Robert stopped the conversation, and spoke about the impact i’ve had on his girls.

Full circle.

It is now August of 2021, and although the year has not gone as planned, I am blessed to be where I am today.

On this Sunday when Hurricane Henri has allowed me to stop, rest, and reflect, I am able to think about how I want the next 4 months to play out.

Although things most likely will not go according to plan, I now know that so long as I keep God at the center and continue to seek him first, I will never be off course.