This summer, a couple I know from my hometown embarked on a cross-country motorcycle tour, riding from Northern Massachusetts to the Midwest and beyond. Throughout their extraordinary trip they have been posting photos on Facebook for all to see. Colorful pictures highlight their many stops: big cities and little towns, national parks, other famous landmarks, and less recognizable but equally interesting local diners, campsites and roadside attractions.
Other friends who live in Maine and share a mutual passion for sailing and the sea, stepped out of their corporate careers, leased a catamaran and launched an island-hopping business, hosting paying guests on forays around the pristine waters of the Caribbean, complete with gourmet meals, endless sunshine and magnificent, crystal blue vistas.
I could go on with many more examples of people I know who have stepped out of their comfort zones to explore the world or take on new challenges that test their mettle. I’m inspired by all of them. Truth is, there’s a courageous bloodline running through my own family, as well. My parents are both published authors, multiple times over, and my brother is a filmmaker, taking his camera around the world to capture unique stories. I’ve noticed this trait in my own children, too. As they grow into young adulthood, each has embraced change, willingly taken on diverse challenges, and stands poised on the brink of a fulfilling future.
While I may not favor motorcycles or sailboats, my personal adventure vehicle of choice has been my career. Years before I chose to open the doors to my own business, I sought to stand apart, work harder, and always keep learning on the job when it would have been far easier to maintain the status quo. My eagerness to achieve wasn’t always popular with my work peers, and caused its share of conflict with my bosses, but it has served me well. Without even knowing it at the time, I have been preparing myself for this moment.
Next week, exactly one month shy of my third year in business, I will welcome my first employee to Richardson Media Group. After months of careful consideration, I have hired a seasoned, intelligent, motivated and incredibly creative woman to incorporate her talents and inspiration into my growing company. This is a new journey for both of us, and admittedly the itinerary is still a little uncertain. My hope is that we’ll navigate the path as smoothly as possible, all the while building our own GPS to rely on for when the road gets unfamiliar.
I’m looking forward to writing more about this next chapter in my business, publishing as frequently as I can, just like a traveler might send postcards home from the road. As this series goes along, I’d love to hear from you, my readers, about your own stories of adventure, career or otherwise.
Let’s celebrate the daring, sometimes terrifying, but ultimately meaningful leaps of faith we all must take to find our best selves.
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