I’m always a fan of a good story, especially one that involves a whole-hearted transformation of the person involved. I feel like this passion is why I love film, and reading, and even podcasts. Seeing the differences in how each individual person can achieve what they hope and dream for helps to inspire me to continue to strive, think outside the box and accomplish new feats that were only distant pipe dreams a few years ago.

I’ve worn many hats in my relatively short existence, but I wouldn’t change the experiences I had for anything. I was able to get a scholarship to attend college out of state, an experience I had dreamt about for years leading up to graduation. I bounced around majors, made some lifelong friends, and even started a band. I lived in the dorms for a couple semesters, lived off campus for a few more, and really grew up during my time in college. But  after a couple years I was missing California and my family.

I developed a lot more during my “upperclassman” semesters back in San Diego; I was working full time and attending school full time. It wasn’t until a fortunate break that led me away from my last couple semesters of college. A touring offer for my newest band, followed shortly by a record deal. Within a couple years of leaving college, I had built a legitimate musical brand, sold tens of thousands of albums and was touring the world, about to meet my future wife 3000 miles away from “home”.

It was at the end of these touring years that my life’s goals were changing, and rapidly. I developed an exit strategy, and knew that a more stable life was what would make me the happiest in the next 5-10 years moving forward. I honed skills that made me versatile, worked twice as hard as my contemporaries, and made the right connections. I utilized the skills and knowledge that I had accumulated through college and life experiences to gain a leg up.

My next monumental life shift coincided with my now-wife moving across the country, my departure from the band I started, and a drastic career shift.

Five years later, and I felt the same itch, that I needed to keep progressing. We had just had our first child, and I wasn’t where I had forecasted I would be by that time. I buckled down again, dug deep, and made some tough decisions to shift our lives again. I reinvested in myself, took online higher education courses and attended seminars. The key was to make sure I kept on learning as I made these decisions.

Over the last 2-3 years, our family has hit a groove. My son is flourishing, we are grateful to be able travel the world (without having to perform the same set every night and sleep in a cramped van), and my skills as a designer, writer and marketer are on an entirely new level.

This is the life that I always wanted to live, and it took some gambles, a lot of hard work, and complete confidence in myself to keep progressing in my own educational development and relationships.

Now that 2017 is halfway over, what’s your big goal you hope to accomplish in the next six months?