"Dear Lord, please bless me with patience, AND GIVE IT TO ME NOW!"
I, like my father, am an extremely impatient person. It permeates into every aspect of my life ranging from waiting for my meal to arrive at a restaurant to achieving hockey stick growth at my company. The prior is a fun one for my wife as she sits and listens to me point out each and every table that arrived after us but was served before us. “We got here 10 freaking minutes before they did and they just got their food”, I blather on endlessly as she shakes her head in disbelief that I am STILL going on about this inane nonsense all these years later.
The latter is a whole other story. Starting a business, generally speaking, is tough but at middle age is even tougher, as I feel this sense of urgency stemming from my age. I feel like I am constantly waiting on someone or something like Judge Smails in Caddy Shack goading Noonan as he lines up the winning putt, “wellll, we’re waiting”.
I know it’s my own perception of time that irks me as I feel the weight of age and health issues bearing down on me, urging me to hurry before it is too late. But in hindsight, I realize that age is merely a number – a construct that should not dictate the pace of my ambitions. Instead of viewing my middle age as a limitation, I am now choosing to see it as an asset, drawing upon years of experience, wisdom, and resilience to fuel my entrepreneurial journey.
Launching The Byrd is a labor of love. I see it as a gift from God that I should cherish and relish in as often as possible. And every setback and obstacle serves as a lesson in perseverance, reminding me that success is not measured by how quickly we reach our goals, but by our unwavering commitment to continue moving forward, no matter the odds.
I thank the Big Man daily for my blessings; the ability to do what I am passionate about, to work with my best friend who is my business partner, and for identifying and acting upon my dream of being an entrepreneur. So I’ll hold onto my serenity prayer for now and use it to remind myself to slow down, trust the process, and know that everything will be ok.