Last night, the end of another week in quarantine, the fiancee and I stumbled across an old football game being replayed on TV – one I distinctly remembered watching with old roommates at a crappy bar back in 2010. The memory came roaring back like it was yesterday, and sent me down a path of reflection of how the last decade turned out in life.

2010 – I graduated college, and immersed myself in all things Charlotte. Being newly single after a relationship that lasted all of undergrad, I had a bit more time on my hands to explore what I was supposed to be doing with my life. Having to settle for a job at first was alright in my book, mainly because I was able to live and work with several close friends I had made over the previous few years.

2011 – This year showed me how high risk could reap high reward. What started out as a kid looking for his big break (and actually using his degree) turned into running the floor of the hottest nightclub in town, where everyone who was someone (or trying to be someone) would pull up to each night. I was shown the value of a confident appearance, being told to “get a credit card, go buy a new suit and a nice watch… and see what happens next.” (spoiler alert, I got the chance to go back to work for this individual later on)

2012 – Approached by a team looking for someone to help propel their brand, I slid over to a concept I found incredibly unique – part hookah bar, part cocktail lounge, part small plates/desserts. As the DNC brought traffic into Charlotte, I found myself continuously surrounded by all kinds of influential types as the small business atmosphere in Charlotte shone bright for all to see. This venture allowed for my relationships, personal and professional, to grow exponentially with the amount of networking and opportunity that opened up for me as a result.

2013 – My climb up the ladder in hospitality seemed to reach a high point that summer, taking over the operation of two locations in Charlotte that touted another unique environment – part barbershop, part speakeasy. As fascinating as this was, it was also a bit before its time in a town that was still trying to find its own identity. I also learned in this venture that not all employers operate the same way, and there are some who I fundamentally disagree with… which led me to question whether or not the world of small business / hospitality was the one for me.

2014 – I took getting laid off for the first time in my life as a sign that it was time to change direction. At the encouragement of many saying “you are already doing sales, it simply isn’t part of your title,” I went through the lengthy process of becoming a specialist in the software world and began traveling extensively outside of NC. This opened my eyes to a completely different side of ambition, as it hit me that I had never really had the chance to use my work as a means for going and exploring more of the country. An epic party happened in the fall, which I’ll dive more into later, and then the next few years became a chapter of their own.

2015 – Packed up and moved to Austin, Texas… I’m sure my family thought I was crazy, but it seemed like the perfect amount of crazy to pursue at the time. Met an incredible new group of friends, co-workers, and customers alike as I completed my training at the top of my class and started taking offers from regions on which territory I should move to and sell in (since a vet had unfortunately taken the Austin territory right before I became eligible). The one year as a Texas resident was action-packed to say the least, and the appeal of that area (not just queso, tacos, and BBQ) has gotten me to come back and visit as often as I have been able to.

2016 – The New England team was rather convincing (work team, not the damn Pats), and I drove halfway across the country with barely any stops to set up shop just outside downtown Boston. I started driving 3-4 hours a day visiting clientele in states I had never set foot in before, learning along the way that sales needed its own demeanor and confidence in order to break the barriers customers would have in place. With some growth, I became one of the best when it came to CRM products – and naturally, began taking every store visit as an opportunity to find new local hotspots, tourist must-sees, and scenery that makes any magazine jealous it can’t capture the full essence of.

2017 – The true definition of “new year, new me” as I found myself single again after a lengthy relationship – this time, in a city where I had few friends and no family. For some bizarre reason, I saw that as an incredible opportunity to do some self-discovery and moved to a different Boston neighborhood to start all over. By the end of the year, after a variety of trials and tribulations that need a book of their own, I had a badass apartment and adopted a badass cat to keep me company. On top of that, I met a girl who I couldn’t stop thinking about… and the irony was, she lived back in Charlotte.

2018 – The year of depression. I realized after some time that I needed to go through the proper channels of therapy and coaching to truly recover from the previous relationship, as well as determine what should come next when it came to work. While it was a fun few years of challenges with R+R, I took a different sales role with a smaller territory in Boston to confirm the suspicion of whether or not it was still something I wanted to do. As I began doing that, I also helped consult with a local sports bar that needed help remodeling and then selling… and realized just how much I missed the energy and passion of food and beverage. By the summer, I cut ties with software sales altogether to dive deeper into the world of Boston bars – bartending here and there and becoming extremely self-sufficient with every side hustle in the book. As our relationship grew, I knew that the next step was to move closer to Chelsea (as well as my family), so I started exploring a variety of options closer to home.

2019 – Interviews came and went, and I was a little frustrated that while I often got to the final round with a group… something would be said and/or done that would make me question the integrity or mission of the company – and I would respectfully bow out of consideration. Ironically, one group wanted to take me out to dinner to talk numbers after several meetings and assessments – and after giving them a list of options in Charlotte, they elected to go to a restaurant that an old mentor operated. Sure enough, at the end of dinner – I spotted him at the end of the bar, and we caught up for old times sake. That apparently sparked the fire that needed to happen, because a few days later I was in the corporate office hearing their pitch about their concept that they would like my help with. After all these back and forth conversations with new companies and offerings, imagine my surprise to find such comfort in conversation with old friends who I had worked with YEARS ago (the ones who challenged me in 2011, that is). For the next year, living Uptown and walking to work enabled me to see family more frequently, hang out with old friends once more, and especially develop my relationship with Chelsea to the point where I wanted to propose.

2020 – Here we are, in the midst of a pandemic that no one knows how to handle appropriately, and all I can do is reflect on all the crazy things that have happened along the way. Now, as you can clearly tell, I left out a lot of important details for the sake of summarizing each year.

In 2010, I was devastated when I had my heart broken at graduation… and if it wasn’t for the close friends surrounding me at the time, I’m not sure I would have had the motivation to press on the way I did. From 2012-2015, I lost 3 of my grandparents – something that is inevitable for all of us, but I hope that each of you are ready for that day to come and make the most of your time with them until then. In 2016, I had to give up my pets for adoption by a family back south after a strange living predicament put us in that situation. At the end of that year, I found out that my trust had been violated in the worst way, and that I would have to go through the awful process of divorce / annulment / starting all over. In 2017-2018, after letting the dust settle on everything that had taken place, it took a variety of antidepressants and counselors to get me through the process and back to who most know me to be on a regular basis.

You never know what can happen in one year, or ten. The struggles and smiles are equally worth it, as they all help mold you into the person you are for the long run. This last decade for me was filled with epic trips, incredible opportunities, and people I will cherish for life. I don’t know about you all, but I can’t wait to see what I get to talk about in 2030.