Eleven years ago today, a tow truck took my car and movers emptied my house in New Jersey as it poured down rain. It looked like another sad story of the brutal financial crisis. But, no. I was getting on a plane headed to Los Angeles, on my way to a new house I had chosen to live in, sight unseen, with suitcases and two cats by my side. I had said goodbye to the woods the day before. We arrived in the middle of the night. I gasped at the view of the LA skyline from my dark and empty bedroom. The next morning, the cats and I explored our new but empty home.
Just five months before, sitting poolside on a perfect day of another perfect LA visit, I had decided I wanted to make this big jump. It just hit me as an inevitability. Nothing could stop me. No obstacles allowed. I found a workaround for every hitch and obstacle. I systematically planned out every detail—down to the delivery of an air mattress a litter box and bowls for the cats, waiting for me in boxes at the front door as I pulled up in my rented car.
There’s a point to these reminiscences. This move changed my life in so much more than the obvious ways. I continue to apply these lessons in my daily life and business.
- My life in NJ was stuck in a complacency and depression so large that I couldn’t even see them anymore. I learned that my grey, dark life was a creation of my own mind and that changing my mind would change my life. Same thing when I pivoted Syncresis to focus on thought leadership for financial innovators.
- Intentions are to obstacles as scissors are to paper. I learned that I can and will find a way to cut through almost anything into any shape that I choose. Same thing when I finally got myself back to the gym and decided I had to shed my extra pandemic pounds.
- My friends in LA did everything they could to help and welcome me. I learned how joy-inspiring it can be to tap into the power of community. Same thing in the way I work with my team and engage clients.
- The decision really did come to me in a moment. My inner voice jumped up and shouted what we wanted. And then I said it aloud. I learned to listen to myself better and the impact of speaking my intentions to others. Same thing when I knew it was time to launch a newsletter and an online course—a flash of insight followed by relentless work until I reached the goal.
I think we all have more in us than we might realize, and we all can make better happen when we choose to embrace and pursue it. This anniversary always reminds me of that.
