Purpose

Several weeks ago, a fellow co-worker passed away. While I didn't know him well, I admired him from afar for reaching back and pulling people up the corporate ladder as he climbed up in the rankings. Lonnie was both a mentor and advocate to several of my friends, working diligently to ensure diversity at all levels of the company. His death was unexpected, but about a week before he died, Lonnie sent an email titled Purpose to the African-American Leadership, his manager, fellow co-workers and friends. One statement from his email really stands out to me:

Success will come when you are aligned with your PURPOSE. When you are inside GOD’S intended PURPOSE it will be easy and natural to do the RIGHT thing. If it is not natural, then, this is not your PURPOSE!
I'll admit- I've hated my job and IT profession for several years now. I've felt pigeonholed, unchallenged, and unappreciated. So I'm moving on. I know I'm fortunate to not have children and be able to make my own decisions without really having to think about how they impact another individual. However, there are people who have children, who have spouses, who have homes, and careers and all of these additional responsibilities make change that much riskier. But nothing worth doing is easy, not even for me.

I don't have the financial resources at home to fund this or back me up if I miss a car note. I have myself, my savings, and my $98,000 in loans. I'm taking a chance because I'm unhappy. But I'll be one step closer on the path to understanding my purpose.

I've typed all of this to say, don't wait around for something to happen, make it happen. Life is too short to wake up everyday, put your feet on the floor, and then think "damn". Get started on a plan, hibernate for a while if you have to, get a hotel room for a weekend and leave the cell phone at home. If kids are involved, really consider if stability (with you coming home pissed off daily) is better than them seeing you grab life by the horns and step out on faith. My God says that faith can move mountains.

In the words of 2 Live Crew, move something.