Turn it Around, Get a Rewrite

There comes a time, in a short life
Turn it around, get a rewrite
Call it a dark, night of the soul
Ticking of clocks, gravity’s pull
First you get close, then you get worried

Cold War Kids – “First”

It’s 5AM on my first day off in several weeks and I’m in my office writing, paying bills, getting groceries ordered, and catching up on some of the other things I’ve put off with my work load.

I had an interview with a reporter yesterday over the phone and they asked me “how did your accident shape the path to get you where you’re at today?”

…and it took me a second to understand the question and understand what they meant by “accident”.

Has it really been almost five years? And did I really have to pause and think about what they meant? Wow.

In fairness to myself, if they had asked “how did the death of your best friend shape who you are today?” or “how did experiencing such a traumatic event on such an important day put things in perspective?” would have led to a much quicker answer than me having to pause and think about what the hell they were asking.

Looking back at the last five years, it’s a pretty daunting list: physically surviving that accident, burying a best friend, chronic pain from my back, the never ending lawsuit, losing two grandparents, the dark and frustrating days of starting the organization, L’s affair, the divorce, the spin-off from my original co-founders; it would have been easy to crawl into a hole and refuse to come out.

Cheated and lied, broken so bad
You made a vow, never get mad
You play the game, though it’s unfair
They’re all the same, who can compare?
First you lose trust, then you get worried

Cold War Kids – “First”

credit where credit is due, I’m not sure I would have made it through all of the ugly in the last 2 years without the amazing Speak Easy crew

Instead of losing trust, I know I got this amazing rewrite in life. I know that hard work and persistence (and pure stubbornness) got me to this moment in time. A fast growing company that I’m piloting, amazing friends, a partner-in-crime, two crazy dogs, respect in my professional field and most importantly, enough ambition to get through the dark moments and celebrate the best days.

I got offered a job a couple weeks ago when I was out in LA—a job that came with a salary that was 2.5 times what I make right now, a chance to travel all over the country, crazy benefits, and be part of the solution to many of the things I have been critical of in the industry. I turned it down (I’m at Nine13 for the long haul), but I couldn’t help but be proud of the fact that my hard work has gotten me to this point where momentum has made the roller coaster of life an amazing ride.

All those things listed about the last few years? They’ve made me who I am. They created the personality that has gotten me to where I’m at today. In my mind, it’s easy to understand that if A, B, C and the majority of the rest hadn’t happened–I’d be working some desk job I absolutely hate.

I dated a girl back in the day who would always say, “it’s always going to be okay. No matter how bad something is, it’s always going to turn out okay”, and I feel like I’m the perfect example of that.

Only, I’m not just okay, I’m pretty spectacular these days.

Never, ever, ever, ever, quit. Everything happens for a reason.

Tailwinds,

-th