Where It All Began
Four years ago, almost to the day, I took the first steps on this crazy journey that has lead me to the very place I sit today. Little did I know the excitement that would soon follow or the sweat, blood, tears, finances and emotion that would be expelled along the way, but looking back now it’s amazing to see how God has worked all the pieces together to bring me to this place.
The single largest gathering of motorsport companies in the country was meeting in Indianapolis Indiana and I happened to be just a few hours away attending college. I was no stranger to the Dealer Expo and had always longed for an opportunity to meet riders and rub elbows with some of the biggest names and companies in my industry. This particular year, with the help of my father and one of his business contacts, I was able to score a pass to the three day event. I didn’t know much about networking at the time but I knew if ever there was an opportunity to land a job in this industry, this was it. READ MORE
Looking Back
A lot can change in a year. I recall wanting to write a letter to myself at this time last year in hopes that I could look back a year later and see if or how things had improved. Thing is, I was too frustrated with my circumstances to bring myself to sit down and write about it.
It’s crazy to me how much can happen in a years time. Those who know me know that I’m an eager self starter always ready for the next adventure. My life changed almost over night when I had the opportunity to move to California, now over two years ago. READ MORE
A Personal Milestone
About a week ago I had the incredible opportunity to overcome something that’s been on my mind for almost a year and a half. Most of you know that freestyle motocross has been a passion of mine for a long time and the opportunity to move to Southern California to pursue it full time was a dream come true. I cannot begin to express how thankful I am for the opportunities I’ve had over the last two years since moving here. It’s been one blessing after another and there are so many incredible people that have been instrumental in helping me pursue this dream. READ MORE
Poor Visibility
I’m a fan of analogies and since I’m on a walk by faith kick right now, I’ll use another one I thought of the other day as my flight landed in Cleveland Ohio. I was on a red eye headed to North Carolina and needless to say, very tired.
As the pilot notified us of our initial decent, I could see the lights on the ground several miles below. I closed my eyes again for the remaining 30 minutes of the flight, opening them periodically to judge how soon we would be landing by how close we were to the ground. Funny thing, for the final fifteen or twenty minutes of the flight I could see almost nothing as the plane was completely engulfed in thick fog.
Then out of nowhere the ground appeared and couldn’t have been more than a few hundred feet away. It took me by surprise because almost as quickly as we regained visibility, we were on the ground taxiing down the runway.
The pilot did an exceptional job landing the aircraft despite severely limited visibility and that’s what got me thinking about walking by faith. No doubt the pilot’s vision was limited but he had three contributing factors helping guide him in and we have similar outside sources helping us along as we walk by faith in times or poor visibility. READ MORE
Entitled to Know
“I don’t care what it is, I just want to know what God wants me to do with my life.” That thought is echoed by countless people, young and old around the world as we seek to discern the call that God has placed on our lives. I understand that all to well because that was me during my four years of college. While I had my own plans and dreams of working in the action sports world, I thought for sure God had other plans when he called me to abandon those dreams and attend a liberal arts school in southern Illinois.
My plea then became, “Ok God, now what? I don’t care what it is, just show me what, where and when.” And for the better part of four years, He was silent. READ MORE
Working For Free Doesn’t Mean You’re Not Getting Compensated
Just because you’re not getting paid doesn’t mean you’re working for free. I cannot begin to tell you how many stories, articles, videos and favors I have done for free but in return have gained exposure, credibility or experience that money cannot buy. What’s more, those rather menial tasks that I’ve done for free are the keys that have unlocked doors that are propelling me towards the very place that I want to be.
In his new book Quitter best selling author Jon Acuff talks about “The fountain of free” and his first opportunity to speak for the Dave Ramsey organization. (If you haven’t heard of Dave Ramsey think Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity etc) Jon was a budding author and speaker and he was torn as to whether he should ask for a small fee in exchange for his services. READ MORE
Refresh, Recoup and Remember Why You’re Working so Hard
A couple of weeks ago I let my hair down. Instead of spending my Friday night out with friends, wrting, or working on my computer, I loaded up my ATV and headed to the track for a Friday night motocross race under the lights. You might be wondering why that’s such a big deal since I work in that industry and pretty much live for the rush of riding, jumping and going fast, but since a severe accident that sidelined me almost a year ago, I’ve been slow to getting back in the saddle. READ MORE
Back in the Saddle
A year ago today my pursuit of my passion could have taken my life or left me significantly disabled. I thank God that I came away unscathed (well with no lasting injuries anyway) and a year later I’m on a different path but still looking forward to the day I can get back on a ramp
My mom called me this morning with kind of a somber tone in her voice. She asked me how I’m doing with everything and if today was hard or something to that affect. Not quite sure what she was getting at I said, “no I’m just fine why?” READ MORE