The roads that lay ahead are unknown, but with each step you take, you are reaching a new moment in your life. The journey you have can be completed alone or with companions along the way. Regardless if you travel alone or with others, you have to understand that you are in charge of your next step. You have to make the conscious choice to keep on moving, and you do so each day. Are you walking with a purpose, though? In this week’s blog, I want to share some of my journeys and show ways I have learned to make sure I was not letting my steps be forgotten.

I heard a story the other day from a TED talk. I cannot recall who the speaker was, but she spoke about her success. It wasn’t in a braggadocious way by any means. She laid out her talk to talk about where she was at the beginning, where she was failing, and what helped her succeed. I will skip the beginning and go to the most important part, the failure. She was not getting the results she wanted in her career, so one day, at a get-together, she asked a successful mentor of hers why she had not made it yet in life. She was working hard and giving all that she had, but it wasn’t producing the results she wanted. Her mentor said these words to her, “Baby, your walking too softly.” That was all she needed to get her on the right path to make her first million.

There are no magic words to make someone successful. What it takes is for you to realize your full potential and how amazing you are. That alone can give you the motivation to get to where you want to be. The whole process is mandatory, and there are no shortcuts. Your journey is meant to be traveled by you. The shortcuts you see on your path can be deceptive and not lead to the destination you have initially envisioned. Success is not a one-fit type of thing. What is for you might not be for someone else. Where another person has failed, you can succeed.

Your journey will be filled with many ups and downs. You will have days that you wish didn’t happen or days that you do not want to end because they are so good. Both are important in life because we learn from our failures and our successes. You may be thinking that you would rather learn from your successes. I recall a great saying, “if you succeed more than you fail, then you are not trying hard enough.” You can be really good at something and have devoted many hours to your craft, but it doesn’t mean victory. Your hard work will pay off, but the team that loses a game should be more motivated to win because defeat doesn’t taste good.

My journey was not all rainbows and sugar gumdrops. I grew up in a city which would be ranked as one of the most dangerous places to live in the USA. It was life for me. I didn’t know what I could achieve with my life and if the choices I made would have a long-lasting impact on my future. I was set up for a successful placement in the rat race by my parents. They didn’t know any better, either. Living paycheck to paycheck was not how I wanted to live my life. They had kids when they were young, and they had to work two-three jobs to provide and send us to school. They sacrificed their glory years to give us the best life they could give. Regardless of their effort, they cannot shield you from all of the world’s troubles and harsh lessons.

Life, whether you want it to happen or not, will. I can recall when I was young, coming home to our house burglarized and ransacked. This happened on more than one occasion. We were always gone and set up the perfect situation for that incident to happen. I can recall not feeling sad or upset. I still felt safe, and I knew everything was going to be ok. Why was I not freaking out or hating the world because someone stole my Nintendo? I believe that now I know the answer, and that is that I knew there was a lesson at that moment. You can come at it from a life standpoint and say that karma will come around. If you were in a spiritual or prayerful mindset, then you would have sympathy for the person who did it. Maybe they were in a really bad place, and they did something so grotesque just to be able to provide for themselves or their family.

I can recall a funny time when I was in church. It was Christmas time, and we had a mass for the holidays. My favorite priest even to this day, Father Paul, was a great man. He was kind beyond kindness and would always put others first. However, he did make sure his cup was full. I believe he accomplished this by prayer and understanding his purpose. On that one night’s mass, we sang Christmas carols and songs. Some of the songs required bells as accompaniment. Well, that year, there was none because someone stole the bells! It is funny now, but on that day, I am sure everyone was like, “Damn, we don’t even have bells for Christmas.”

What was the most amazing part was that there was no anger in anyone. Father Paul had requested that if anyone found out who stole the bells, not to be upset, mad, or throw stones at this sinner. He said to give them a hug instead. A hug? I was like, someone just stole my church bells, and I need to give them a hug? My arms would have been closed tight if I had seen the culprit. I would not give anything to him. I thought differently about Father Paul at the time, but now I can see why Father recommended kindness instead of hate. Though people can do wrong to you, and you might grow to resent them, it is all a part of your journey.

Your journey is not meant to be perfect. You will get lost or trip on a rock along the path. The magic is in the moment of each step. From me coming home to the house having been ransacked or not having bells on Christmas was never the end of the world. It was a lesson to learn from. I learned what I liked and didn’t like. Most importantly, I learned how to react in those situations. Panic can easily take over someone who has had a life filled with good and prosperity. The chaos and rough patches in your life teach you how to be strong and resilient.

Now that you understand that your journey will have ups and downs, what will you do? Will you be fearful, scared, happy, sad, angry, joyful, or any of the other many feelings in your life, they all serve a purpose. You can be upset at yourself for missing a field goal that would have made you the champion, but you don’t have to let that feeling turn hateful and resent yourself because of a mistake/failure. You can take that moment of imperfection and strive to reach perfection. Can you remember young love and being in the honeymoon phase? If you can, I am sure to can see having the relationship dissipate and looking at what is left too. Is there joy and happiness or regrets and sorrow from past memories? Your journey is unique to you, and you decide what to feel and do about any situation. Be sure not to spend much time dreading the past because the future is now, and it needs your presence.

Today, after all my ups and downs and failure and successes, I know that now I want my steps to be meaningful and loud. I want the world to know who I am and hear me coming! I want to be the change and make the change I see in this world. The world will know my name, and my legacy will be one to be remembered. When self-doubt and fear take control, I will look back at my journey and be proud of how far I have come and not dread how much more needs to be traveled. You are so much stronger than you know, so do not let your power remain dormant. Your journey ends when you decide for it to be over. I know I am just getting to the sweetest parts of my journey. Remember, you don’t have to stay at one point in your life longer than need be. It is time to make sure you are ready for the journey and take the next steps toward your most desired life.

Until then,

Michael Rearden

Founder of Reven Concepts