All signs point to ...

The Big Guy loved his family, his country and a 6-pack of Pepsi.

My dad was definitely an ideas guy. Whether it was a new business or how duct tape could hold our entire universe together, he was a creative. He was also an incredibly hard worker. In my 40 years, I've never seen anyone work as hard as my dad did, and I'm not sure I ever will. Much of that was due to circumstance. My dad was a farmer, which is a job that you never really clock in or out of. 

One thing I truly admired about my dad was that he wasn't afraid to take risks. He changed careers later in life -- at 58 -- and a few times after that, too. In every job he had, he gave it his all. By the time he died in 2011, he had been a farmer, a banker, an owner of a hardware store, and a grain mill. He even worked at a pharmacy. He was a jack of all trades. He wore so many hats. 

I admired his creative spirit and drive but I also watched with concern how hard he worked as it came with such personal expense. When I entered the professional world full time, and even long before that, I think I had resigned to the idea that I would always work for someone else. I was OK with that. In my mind, it meant security. It meant stability. I liked knowing when that check was coming.

Now I am ready to follow my dad's lead. I want to take my ideas and my creativity and pursue those new paths like my dad did. In one of my recent morning meditations, I pictured myself in a small, gorgeous and rustic valley near the Idaho-Montana border, not too far from where I grew up. Wedged between two small mountains, there weren't tall trees, just bushes and tall sagebrush. You could see everything no matter where you were standing. A creek snaked through the center. As you climbed the sloping mountains, you were greeted with the sturdiest of Bitterroot flowers dotting the path upward.

“If not now, then when?”

In my meditation, I realized I had been in this place before, but only once. I went camping there with my dad when I was probably no more than 11 or 12. I immediately knew why I imagined this particular place. I felt a calmness wash over me. There was my dad, he and I side by side, in the center of the valley, with nothing obstructing our view, ready to go forward. 

I'm excited for what is ahead of me as I grow my business full time. Will it be tough? Yes. Will it be rewarding? Absolutely. Will it be worth it? One-hundred percent. I invite you to take this journey with me. 

A great thought on a wall in San Francisco. I am putting this into practice starting now!