It is a good practice from time to time to sit by the reflecting pond.  Just to stop the world for a few solitary moments and look in the rear view mirror of life.  If we don’t know where we’ve been, how can we possibly know where we are going? After all, your life is represented by the sum total of your experiences, not a single event or year.

So, here I sit by the reflecting pond thinking about that magical, mystical 5-year mark.  Where was I five years ago?  If you’re anything like me, it takes a spark for you to remember your past - a scent, a song, a connection.  Well, as it happens to be, it is probably pretty easy for all of us to remember what we were doing 5 years ago as we are only a few weeks short of the fifth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.  Now, I gave thought to personalizing that last statement to reflect an American sentiment, but that day impacted the global community like few other days in history. The entire world remembers that day.

So, wow, five years have passed.  Much has happened in the world in 5 years just as it has in my personal life and I’ll bet yours.

You see, five years ago was a tumultuous time for my budding family.  As we prepared for Lauren’s 1st birthday celebration and the pending arrival of our third child, our life was in utter chaos.  And this was before 9/11 shook up the economy and small business landscape.  Unhappy with my faltering consulting practice, I was flirting with a novel concept – focusing on my strengths of discernment and teaching to do what I love most – help others find their way.  Ah, but doing what you love seldom pays the bills - at first anyway.  Doing what I love?  Ludicrous.  Life coaching?  Well, the Earl Nightingales, Zig Ziglars, Ken Blanchards and John Maxwells of the world paid many dues to make an impact in this arena and I’ve never been a shortcut kinda guy.

So to begin paying my dues, I stumbled through 2 consecutive, failed business ventures and the Fall of 2001 found me reeling from these ventures and falling back to consulting as I ‘attempted’ to use my coaching skills in business.

Yes, that was a tough Fall/fall for us (pun intended).  In fact, Nicole is from the Greek derivative, Nike – or victory, so symbolically she arrived into the new year and we have not looked back.  Five years later, we have taken the boldest step yet – we sold nearly every possession we had, including our house, to ‘lightly’ search for our One Particular Harbour across the US and propel ourselves into a more productive, enjoyable business environment and launch what has become LifeMAPP – our internet-driven foray into life coaching.  It has been a tough 5 years, but no tougher than any other entrepreneur faces.  And it has been a great 5 years as it has set the tone for what we will accomplish in the next 5 years.

So, this story begs the question – where were you 5 years ago and how has your life changed? (Post a comment below and let us know

(This story was inspired by Dave Terry who is cutting his teeth to do what he loves and provide for his family.  Cut on, Dave, cut on!)

Author | Dave Darby

Dave Darby is a husband, father of 5, son, entrepreneur, speaker and well, a renaissance man who frequently needs to dump his brain on thoughts about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.