The passing of time can give a person perspective.

When you drive the same way to work and have the basic responsibilities for 25 years at one place of employment you tend to get comfortable. As I write that, I fully understand that is both a good statement and a dangerous one. Every day at work was like going to a second home. Did I take off my shoes on weekends and roam the hallways in a bathrobe? No. I don’t want that in print for litigation purposes. But it was a place I ran to more than 3oo days a year. I enjoyed the conversations and comradery. The price for this was that my name was altered. I transformed into Tony Fromstation. Occasionally, it was Tony Fromcompany. It was like putting on a branded cape.

Until I took the cape off a year ago.

Comfort was gone. It was replaced by uncertainty and new roads to different opportunities. Some of those paths lead to excitement and joy. Other routes are riddled with potholes and confusion. When you start driving down the avenue, you are not sure which one it will be that you meet. An avenue paved with gold or mud.

 I wrote about the difficulty of transition one morning for a LinkedIn post. Right after I published it, I ran to the sauna at the Four Seasons Health Club. There I met a gentleman who made the same type of radical change in careers I had recently made. I emotionally bared my soul and asked how long it took for him to be comfortable with the transition. He said about five years. He had to let go of who he was to become his present self. He shared other insights which I was grateful to hear. Surprisingly, I do keep some thoughts to myself. I will admit to this. It was heartwarming to savor an authentic talk…with a sweaty stranger. That’s a sentence I never thought I would write.

During a recent interaction around a fire pit on a gorgeous evening with a good friend, he gave me the sage advice that when you think of someone, text or call them. I’ve been trying to do this more often. An individual with whom I have lost contact just celebrated two years as a business owner of his own company. I congratulated him to let him know I admired his fortitude and work ethic. He said it was rough at first but he could not be happier now. Heck, this magazine is filled with trailblazers chasing dreams against great odds. 

As I write this presently, I have a few projects I am starting that could bear fruit or die on the vine. Let’s hope it’s an optimistic outcome. Insert smiley face here. It’s an investment in time and resources based purely on a desire to start something with the support of my family and inner circle. Just like my successful business owner buddy, I have no company to back me, no established audience. 

The road map to a fulfilled potential is not an easy one to navigate.

A new journey is made easier by loved ones who answer your call.

Perspective.

Tony “Michaels” Michalski

Founder of www.baldandwitty.com and the Bald and Witty Podcast available on your favorite pod platform.