Humble Beginnings – Chasing my dreams

Well,  in just two days I will be turning 29.  It’s kind of a weird age I guess.  A lot of people freak out when they turn 30, like it’s some sort of crazy milestone.  I don’t really look at age like that.  A lot of people compare themselves to their friends, family, idols and role models.  Well, I don’t exactly like to do that either.  A few years back I was working my ass off in the corporate world.  I got my foot in the door with an incredible company that many people from my hometown have worked at including my mother for nearly 18 years.  A company that has been around since 1880.  Needless to say, I was well on my way to a life-long career in the corporate world.  After busting my butt for 14 months in the entry-level position I was hired for, I got myself a promotion.  I was on cloud-9 because at the age of 21, I had no college degree, I had no corporate experience, I had none of the typical “qualifications” you need on paper for the job I was hired for.  But, I didn’t let that stop me.  I took another promotion within two years of starting with the company and was well on a fast-track to becoming a lifer there.

Then when I was about 23-24 years old, I had an epiphany.  I decided that I no longer wanted to work 40+ hours a week in a cubicle listening to a boss tell me how to do my job.  I didn’t need it.  I was finding myself daydreaming about what I’d rather be doing if I wasn’t in downtown St. Paul.  Would I have more time to spend outdoors?  Would I have more time to spend with family?  Would I get to travel the world and see awesome things?

These are the places I’ve visited and worked since leaving the corporate world.

Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve always had a passion for the outdoors.  I was introduced to hunting at a young age thanks to my father, uncles and grandpa.  I’m not the greatest hunter in the world, but hunting is something I truly enjoy and I knew I wanted to be doing something for a living working in the outdoors. I wanted to be able to hunt as much as possible.  It was somewhere around 2008-2009 when my eyes were opened to an entirely new experience.  I was asked to film for a show called “Battle of the B.O.W.” and compete on the reality series that would air on Sportsman Channel during first quarter of 2010.  Man was that a cool experience.  Just a novice cameraman and bowhunter, filming his hunts for national television.  It was at that time that I hit a wall with work, I hated it.  I had terrible days at work and wanted to give up, but I found my passion with filmmaking.  I walked away from the corporate world, the benefits, the paid time off to pursue my dream of filming the outdoors.  

Well, I always made a goal to be self-employed doing what I love by the time I’m 30.  I can honestly say proudly that I am self-employed and I’m not yet 30 – mission accomplished!  That’s a huge accomplishment for me.  I didn’t come from money, I wasn’t handed anything on a silver platter, I had to earn everything in my life and whether or not you want to think I’ve “made-it” I like to think that I have.  In no way shape or form am I content with where I am… no way, this is only the beginning!  Things are taking off faster than I can really even imagine and I’m grateful for every person who’s been a part of my life and this journey to get here, especially you Mom.  I love you!

There’s no video to post with this blog, there are no hashtags used, no #DoingNightOwlThings (oops, I used one now).  It’s just simply a brief explanation of my life and how I choose to live it.   I GOT MY START CHASING MY DREAM A FEW YEARS BACK, NOW I AM LIVING IT.

I like to end my blog posts with a quote so when I googled quotes about chasing your dreams I found this:

“I am thankful to all those who said no to me. It’s because of them that I did it myself.” -Albert Einstein