Crafting New Paths

I was on a hamster wheel.  I was running as fast as I could, but I was getting nowhere.  Up at 5, on the road at 6 to my office, 15 minutes later.  The day started as soon as the lights in my office illuminated the dimly lit desk.

Luckily, email on non-BlackBerry devices and text messages were little-used communication tools in 2013.  The iPhone hadn't fully taken over the mobile phone world, and apps were little known as well.

One day, I logged 67 phone calls between customers, suppliers, and other support staff.  Over the 10 hours from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., I averaged nearly seven calls per hour.  I rarely had time to grab water, eat lunch, or use the restroom.  While not every day was like that one, more were filled to the brim than not.

What I didn't know was what could be different.

What I knew was to put my head down and work, to push.  Do more with what I was.

Not many years before this, when I started my dairy nutrition business, I vowed not to hire employees.  I didn't want to “cash checks I didn't write!”

Ah, the immature naivety!

This mindset of being a sole-everything not only limited my professional growth, but most importantly, my personal growth.

What Changed?

I didn't find a new path; a new path found me.  After working in the dairy industry for 13 years, I left, cold turkey.  That change not only impacted my family; after realizing I had missed an entire year of my 4-year-old son's life, travelling 1 week a month since he was born.  But countless more days of not being present.

I didn't leave to pursue a new career that I chose.  I went because my wife had created an opportunity for our family through network marketing, which would allow us to achieve the lifestyle and family cadence our kids deserved.

My wife and I both grew up in family businesses.  We worked directly with our parents starting at a young age, not to learn life lessons, but to help make ends meet.

For most of the last four years of its existence, my parents operated a dairy farm; the workforce was my parents, my older sister, and me.  Every milking, feeding, and chore in between, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The benefit is that we spent time working together as a family; the drawback is that we were doing everything.

I remember getting home from sports practices and games, regardless of the season or weather, and doing my chores. 

I wanted my kids to have more and different opportunities than I did, but I also knew I didn't want to be an absent parent. Constantly working and traveling, unable to coach their sports or attend their games, unlike my parents.

So, while network marketing and then a fitness facility wasn't a farm, actually, the gym was much more like a farm than I had known beforehand; it created an opportunity that my other careers didn't.

So I stepped off the hamster wheel and found a new path, a relatively unknown opportunity that ultimately led me to the greatest experience of my life thus far.

Growth

Working with your spouse can be great, but it can also be one of the most challenging things for anyone to do.

There is no ‘leaving work’ to go home.  It's all encompassing!  The best thing this did for me was force me to grow.  To look for and create new opportunities.  It forced me to get beyond my sole operator mindset.

Working in an office space for four years alongside others who consulted on commodity markets for dairy and beef farms taught me a great deal.  One reason is that I enjoy working with others.  I like being a part of a team.  But I wasn't a great team player.

My personal demons, intensity, high expectations, and lack of empathy made me hard to work with at times.  It was grating and exhausting, as my business partner – my wife – told me.

So, when faced with yet another challenge, I started doing what I always did.  I put my head down, worked harder, did more, and pushed.  I was a bulldozer clearing my path forward, disregarding anyone or anything in my way.  It's what I've done for 25 years.

But God had a different plan for me.  As I heard the words, “this is how you deal with things”, I knew exactly what it was.  I was a driver, I drove myself and anyone else where I wanted to go.  And most people hopped off long before the destination.

It was that day that I committed to being different.

That's why I'm writing this today.

Because I stepped off the hamster wheel, willing to craft new paths and create opportunities, I allowed myself to become the student and allow teachers to appear.

Podcast

Part of my growth journey has been hosting and releasing a weekly podcast.  It has allowed me to learn from and speak with amazing people from all over the world that I would not otherwise have known had I stayed where I was.

And it's this that Tricia Sciortino, my guest this week, and I share in common—the willingness to grow and learn from others to create new opportunities.

Tricia emphasizes the importance of not waiting for doors to open but building them yourself. Her journey from a high-capacity retail clothing career to being the first virtual assistant for Belay Solutions aligns with her values and showcases the power of innovation and determination.

She had to learn how to balance her career and family with the right mindset and support. In our conversation, Tricia shares her personal story of transitioning from a demanding job to a role that allows her to be present for her family. 

Highlighting the significance of prioritizing what truly matters and finding or creating work environments that support what's really important.

And lastly, a lesson I learned late, and she as well had embraced for Belay to grow beyond her; delegation.  Delegation and specialization can drive business growth and personal fulfillment. By letting go of tasks and empowering others, Tricia was able to scale her business while maintaining a fulfilling personal life. This approach not only enhances business efficiency but also nurtures a culture of trust and collaboration.

I have learned that when I can empower others to do, I help them and myself.  I'm the bottleneck for everything I want to accomplish, and if I maintain this constriction, I am the problem, not others.

The New Path

I would never have seen the path to do what I do today, speaking, writing, coaching, and empowering others, if I hadn't leapt out of the wheel that was spinning, whether I wanted to or not.

Your next path could be the wheel you are on now, or it could be something completely different.  This is my encouragement: be open.  Be willing to seek and create opportunities for new doors.

Whatever you are trying to accomplish is possible, and it isn't as complex or cumbersome as you believe.

One last thing.  Too often, we feel we have to do it all on our own. Consider this: someone like an assistant from Belay could be exactly what you need to help you create that new path.

Visit belaysolutions.com to learn how you can start building your path today. Don't wait for doors to open—create them.

Did you catch this podcast? If not, listen to it here.