“Everyone always says follow your dreams and your passion, but nobody does it.” – Chris Mocko
I’ve started to write this post several times and stopped. I’m scared. This is scary stuff. I’m 47, with two kids in college, so I have responsibilities. Look, I am definitely not a rash guy, or what you would call a risk taker, but I am not afraid to do some things differently than most people if I feel it is an opportunity. We have run the numbers several times, and they work. So, I retired early. Not the kind of sitting in a rocking chair, playing bridge, and napping all day retired. No. This is about taking a shot at living my dream life. And where does it start? Working part time in a running store.
I want to build my life around my passion of running and I want to use the platform to raise awareness and money for the issue of bullying. The goal isn’t to make a bunch of money, it’s to make enough, and be really, really happy every day. Between working at the store, coaching, and running my investments, I think we can make it work. And that will leave me with time to train and do the charitable work that I have been wanting to do.
If this sounds crazy, remember, this is MY dream. And as scared as I am, I have been on cloud nine since I handed in my notice and made it official. To be clear, this is not about my unhappiness with my old career. I love the company that I worked for and I will be forever grateful for the people that I worked with and the opportunities that they provided. This is a true case of “It’s me, not you.” I simply do not want to wake up one day, a 65-year-old man, and have regrets. I want to take my shot.
Amazingly, my wife has been my biggest supporter. Or maybe a better way to say it is “OF COURSE, my wife has been my biggest supporter.” She has never let me down, and I couldn’t do this without her. In fact, most of my friends have been overwhelmingly supportive. There have been a few comments made about leaving my “safe job to work at a running store?” But that’s ok. You either get it or you don’t. This is not a choice for everyone.
The rules that society has laid out are pretty clear. Go to college, get married, buy a house, have kids, work until your 63 or so, and then retire when you are probably in the twilight of your life. Well, I did most of that stuff, but I want a little twist at the end. I don’t just want to work, I want to live. I want to live my life in a way that makes a difference, doing what I love with the people I love.
So, what have I been up to in 2018?
- Ran the Bloody Massacre Relay Marathon with my friends and family
- Became the “Trail Writer” for Running Junction Magazine
- Paced a woman to her first successful 100-mile race
- Partnering with Operation Warm Wishes and running the #owwrunagainstbullying campaign to raise awareness against bullying on Instagram
- Retired as an executive to work part time at a running store
- Became an ambassador for Runners High Herbals JOETHERUNNER10 for a 10% discount
- Ran the Northern Trails Marathon and finished 12th overall, 11th male, and 4th in my age group
- Started to officially coach people to help them reach their dreams and running goals
- Training hard for the Devil Dog Ultras 100 Mile Race in December
Where will this all lead? I don’t know… but I am happy, and I feel like I am off to a pretty good start.
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