Episode Transcript
[00:00:13] Hello, friend, and welcome to Imagine the Possibilities.
[00:00:18] This is Skip, and I'm really glad you chose to join me today.
[00:00:23] Before we get started, I want to tell you something.
[00:00:27] This episode matters to me.
[00:00:31] Not because it's polished, but because it's honest.
[00:00:36] This is a topic that's been sitting on my list of ideas for a long time, just waiting.
[00:00:44] And today felt like the right day to talk about it.
[00:00:49] I believe we've all been writing a book our entire lives.
[00:00:55] Every experience, every success, every failure, every setback, all of it becomes part of our story.
[00:01:07] The title of that book, My Destiny.
[00:01:12] Now, let me be clear about something. I'm not talking about a book written on paper.
[00:01:17] It isn't about journaling, although many of us do journal.
[00:01:21] It's not about writing things down.
[00:01:25] This book lives in our minds, in our thought, in our memories, in the experiences we carry with us every single day.
[00:01:38] And here's why that matters.
[00:01:41] This book doesn't just reflect where we've been.
[00:01:46] It quietly shapes where we believe we can go.
[00:01:51] Today's about authorship.
[00:01:54] It's about honesty.
[00:01:56] And it's about choosing our next chapters intentionally.
[00:02:03] Whether we realize it or not, we're not just the main character in this story.
[00:02:10] We're the author.
[00:02:14] Life doesn't just happen to us.
[00:02:18] We participate in it. We shape it.
[00:02:21] We help write it.
[00:02:26] I believe that most of us started writing our book long before we ever realized we were doing it.
[00:02:34] Those early chapters were shaped by our experience, by observations, by trial and error.
[00:02:44] At first, I think the writing just happened.
[00:02:48] But at some point, something changed.
[00:02:54] There came a moment when we realized we're not just living life anymore.
[00:03:00] We're choosing how our story continues.
[00:03:05] That's when authorship becomes intentional.
[00:03:10] For many of us, the early chapters feel pretty good.
[00:03:15] Things are moving forward.
[00:03:17] We're making progress.
[00:03:20] We're reaching our goals.
[00:03:23] Success builds confidence, and confidence creates momentum.
[00:03:30] The thing is, those chapters were easy to write.
[00:03:37] They're enjoyable to write.
[00:03:40] They're positive.
[00:03:44] And if we're being honest, if I'm being honest, we love that. Every chapter in the book.
[00:03:55] We love for every chapter in the book to look just like that.
[00:04:01] But every real book includes chapters that don't always go as planned.
[00:04:08] And we have to write those chapters, too.
[00:04:14] They're harder for me. They were uncomfortable, and they often reveal more about us than. Than the good ones ever could.
[00:04:31] Let me tell you about one of those chapters in my own book.
[00:04:41] This goes back to when I was working nights at IBM.
[00:04:47] I was getting off work close to 3 o' clock in the morning.
[00:04:53] And at the same time, I was going to college.
[00:05:00] This went on for weeks.
[00:05:05] I was getting maybe two, two and a half, three hours sleep a night, and I was still trying to keep up.
[00:05:19] This particular semester, I had an 8 o' clock accounting class.
[00:05:25] And one morning I walked in and I was completely exhausted.
[00:05:33] During the class, actually fairly early in the class, I fell asleep.
[00:05:43] The professor walked over, shook me a little bit and woke me up.
[00:05:50] And he didn't say a word.
[00:05:53] Walked back up front, started going over stuff about accounting again.
[00:05:59] A few minutes later, I was asleep again.
[00:06:08] This time he woke me up, not quite as gentle.
[00:06:15] And he told me in front of the entire class that I should just leave.
[00:06:24] Then he went on to suggest that I might want to consider not coming back.
[00:06:34] I was embarrassed, but I was also angry.
[00:06:41] What I didn't say out loud was what was happening inside.
[00:06:45] I felt exposed.
[00:06:49] I felt ashamed.
[00:06:52] And then I heard that voice.
[00:06:55] Maybe you've heard it too, like the little guy on your shoulder.
[00:07:00] And the voice said, maybe you don't belong here.
[00:07:05] Maybe you don't belong here.
[00:07:10] I didn't handle that moment well.
[00:07:14] I stormed out of the classroom.
[00:07:16] And as I did, I said a few words that I probably shouldn't have.
[00:07:23] And honestly, I considered this.
[00:07:28] This is where many of us just stopped writing our book.
[00:07:33] But I took a walk around campus and I kind of cooled off.
[00:07:38] And I realized something important.
[00:07:42] The hard chapters belong in the book, just like the good ones.
[00:07:48] And I also realized I had a choice to make.
[00:07:53] I could protect my pride or I could protect my future.
[00:08:03] This was an authorship moment. Choosing humility wasn't easy, but it mattered.
[00:08:12] So I went back.
[00:08:14] I waited until the class was over, and when the room was empty, I walked up and asked the professor if we could talk.
[00:08:25] And he said, sure.
[00:08:28] The first thing I did was apologize for both my words and my actions. Because I was wrong.
[00:08:37] We started talking and he asked me a question. He said, why did you fall asleep?
[00:08:43] And I told him all about my work schedule.
[00:08:47] And I told him something else.
[00:08:50] That I genuinely wanted to learn accounting. And if that wasn't the case, I wouldn't have shown up at all.
[00:08:59] He understood.
[00:09:02] He supported me. He helped me.
[00:09:06] He told me if I wasn't in the class, that any classwork that came up, he would make sure I knew about it and have an opportunity to turn it in.
[00:09:14] He also told me that any test that I missed, that he would make sure I got the opportunity to take the test.
[00:09:23] I stayed in that class.
[00:09:25] And at the End of the semester, I earned an A.
[00:09:32] The thing is, that chapter didn't define my story, but it shaped it.
[00:09:40] And it taught me something important about failure.
[00:09:45] Failure isn't an identity.
[00:09:49] It isn't the end of the story.
[00:09:53] Failure is information.
[00:09:56] It's insight. It's an invitation to grow.
[00:10:02] We don't struggle with failure as much as we struggle with a story we tell ourselves about it.
[00:10:11] We've got to remember that there's a difference between saying I failed and saying I am a failure.
[00:10:21] When we turn failure into identity, we give up the pen.
[00:10:29] We can't erase the hard chapters, but we can learn from them.
[00:10:35] And when we're honest about them, they don't weaken our story.
[00:10:40] They simply deepen it.
[00:10:42] That's why reflection matters.
[00:10:46] Reflection isn't regret.
[00:10:49] It isn't living in the past.
[00:10:52] Reflection is clarity.
[00:10:56] It helps us understand what our past chapters are teaching us so we can write better ones. Moving forward as we move forward, we're all going to encounter locked doors.
[00:11:14] Behind those doors are opportunities, just not ones that are meant for us.
[00:11:23] Now, when that happens, and I felt this way, it can feel discouraging.
[00:11:32] But a locked door isn't the end of the journey.
[00:11:36] Sometimes it's redirection, Sometimes it's protection.
[00:11:44] And sometimes it simply means keep walking.
[00:11:50] Our forward motion matters more than one closed door.
[00:11:55] Here's the thing.
[00:11:58] For each of us, my destiny is a source of inspiration, motivation, and reflection.
[00:12:09] It's not just a story we read, it's a story we live.
[00:12:16] And no matter our age, we're still writing it.
[00:12:21] Every chapter matters.
[00:12:25] You've heard the story of the glass of water.
[00:12:28] The optimist sees the glass as half full.
[00:12:31] The pessimist sees the glass as half empty.
[00:12:35] The opportunist just drinks the water.
[00:12:39] My point is that optimism isn't denial.
[00:12:44] It's choosing forward, even when the path changes.
[00:12:50] I want to tell you something.
[00:12:52] If you have any comments or questions about this podcast or any of the podcasts, or you just want to drop me an email, that's great.
[00:13:04] Email address imagine the possibilities.
[00:13:08] LifeMail.com I'd truly love to hear from you.
[00:13:15] This podcast exists for one reason. To help people, one person at a time.
[00:13:23] So until next time, stay humble, be kind, love unconditionally, and laugh often.
[00:13:37] Remember, your future belongs to you.
[00:13:41] I wish you much success.
[00:13:45] Have a super day and I pray that God blesses you in a super way.
[00:13:52] Thanks again and God bless.
[00:14:05] Sa.
[00:17:30] Sam.
