Take your wilderness with you 🦋
↩️UNFOLLOW University — December 15, 2023
Happy Friday,
In 2021, as I walked away from the workforce, I didn’t know what was on the other side. I had no clue how long it would last or what it would lead to. I just knew I couldn’t go back to working the way I used to.
I thought I would build a business, write a book or make my mark as a keynote speaker.
My CEO at the time told me I was making the biggest mistake of my career. I didn’t entirely disagree with him but my mind was made up. I traded my career for something more valuable.
I lost all my airline status and frequent flier miles but went on epic road trips with my family.
I said “no” to big roles at big companies but taught my kids how to ride bikes and make oatmeal.
I stopped worrying about what to say when people asked “So, what do you do?”
I started cutting my own grass and we cleaned our own house. I know, such sacrifice.
In 2022, our household income was $20,419 for the entire year. And I’m pretty sure that was rounding up. 😂
I walked right into the wilderness and took my wife, my family and my career with me.
🤯 Radical Truth
Dormant ≠ Dead.
Living things go dormant when the resources they need to grow are no longer present in their immediate environment. Butterflies can’t be born, only reborn. Its second life can only begin when the first life comes to an end.
The least familiar territory for a high-achiever is the in-between. It’s the space between who you are and who you are becoming. The transition from old to new always has a pit-stop in the unknown or the unproven. I call it the “wilderness.”
The wilderness is a place of dormancy that is uninhabited and uncultivated. It’s typically a place where people don’t go, can’t go or won’t go, so little is known about it.
When you find yourself in a wilderness - by accident or necessity - the first instinct is to plot a path of escape. The wilderness is a place of survival, not celebration. Right?
But places of isolation can also be places of preparation. The wilderness is a waiting room, not a tomb. These 2 and a half years have taught me a few things:
How to celebrate failure as the seed of success.
How to make a to-be list instead of another to-do list.
How to build your own table where you’re celebrated, not tolerated.
How to show up for people in pain.
How to choose my regrets wisely.
I thought I would build a business, write a book or make my mark as a speaker. I didn’t know it at the time, but the thing God was building, writing and marking was me.
If you’re in the “in-between,” a season of transition, loss or removal, don’t be discouraged. Don’t fall for the lie that you’re alone. This adversity is renewing your dependency on others by removing the distractions that keep you disconnected from yourself and them.
Don’t rush to get out of the wilderness. It’s there to get something out of you.
The empty places are made for listening, not looking. Your journey ahead won’t be by sight so focus less on what you see and more on what you hear. What you already know.
What the caterpillar perceives as the end, to the butterfly, is just the beginning.
Take the lessons of the wilderness with you.
I finally got Alisha up to the Nearest Green Distillery. The whiskey in these barrels is definitely dormant, not dead! 😂
⚡️Courageous Question
What is being removed in me? What is being renewed for me?
🗣 Wonderful Words
“He makes us wait. He keeps us on purpose in the dark. He makes us walk when we want to run, sit still when we want to walk, for He has things to do in our souls that we are not interested in.”
🙏🏽 Prayer Package
God, I know you speak in the wilderness but it’s still not a place I desire to be. As I let go of control, show me just what you can do with fragile, weak, imperfect people who stand on your word. I can’t trust your plan without accepting your discipline so teach me how to surrender. Amen.
🎵 He Has Time - Common Hymnal 🕑
🛠 Practical Tool
I shared this message last Sunday at The Well Church Keller and pray that we become a community of people who thrive, grow and learn in the wilderness. It’s hard medicine, but I’m learning to STAY in the tough places.
Stand on His word.
Trust in His plan
Accept His discipline
Yield to the mission.
I love this reflection from Pastor Rich Villodas: “What God does in us as we wait is often much more important than what we are waiting for.”
Regrettably, our video feed went dormant initially, but you can watch most of the message in this video.
Some of you noticed that I missed 2 week’s worth of UNFOLLOW University. With travel to France, family obligations and a host of new work responsibilities, I pressed paused for a few. Thanks for your patience!
See you next UNFOLLOW Friday!
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Every Friday I’ll send you 5 courageous ideas to help you redesign your work life by making better career decisions:
🤯 Radical Truth - A story from me
⚡️ Courageous Question - A challenge for you
🗣 Wonderful Words - A quote worth remembering
🙏🏽 Prayer Package - A moment of meditation
🛠 Practical Tool - An actionable resource
