Thank You for Changing My Life

Thanks for changing my life. Ever heard these words?

I have heard them a lot lately. But, this is not bragging. In fact the people saying it are giving me the credit for much of their work. I did not change their life. They did it.  I just gave them a toolbox to work from and helped them find direction. The hard part was up to them.

 

Brian Rabon (photo) is one of these people. Brian is a former client, IEM alumni, IEM faculty, and a good friend. And yes, I have his permission to tell his story. In fact, I am going to do an interview with him on an upcoming Company of One Podcast so he can tell “the rest of the story”.

Brian is president of The Braintrust Consulting Group, an Agile training and coaching company. The company came about when Brian got sick of doing the normal, and decided to step out. He and I worked together for some time to help him define things, and he took off. When he got started, I remember him being very frustrated and discouraged.

Once he defined a plan and really got started, he told me over lunch “I am not making as much as I used to, but I am having a blast.” At this time Brian was traveling all over teaching people about Agile.  That was February 2011.

He and I had lunch later that year, two days before Christmas. He then said “I am still having a blast, and making more money than I ever thought possible.”

 

How to Start Changing Your Life

Brian did two main things to get started.

First he did the exercise “How to Find Your Calling” (see below). This helped him to clearly identify where he wanted to go. One thing in his list of things he loved to do was snow skiing. While it’s not how he makes a living, it is important!

Second, he reached out to those people who were living his dream. When he did, they told him how to get started. He followed their steps.

These two steps are key because they are a start. Most people fail to start.

Sounds simple right? Yes, but then he did one more critical thing. He kicked butt and made things happen.

What Does This Have to Do with Snow Skiing?

Snow skiing is one of Brian’s passions. It showed up strong on this “How to Find Your Calling” exercise. He even considered being a ski instructor. At a lunch a few weeks ago (June 2013) he told me he had spent over 50 days last year on the slopes! Do you have 50 days next year to just have fun?

But that is not the key thing. He now realizes he does not have to live in one place. So he bought a house 15 minutes from the ski slopes in Salt Lake City. Below is the photo he showed me (and everyone else) before he moved.

 

Brian and I had lunch the day before he and his wife started the journey from Birmingham to Salt Lake City to live their new life in their new home. As we walked out of the restaurant, he looked at me and said “Thank you for changing my life.”

So today I say to my friend Brian, thank you for inspiring us by living your dream.

 

Do you want to get started living your dream?

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