And there it was

I got home at 8:23 pm on Monday night. I was at work late after finishing up a call where I listened to a grown man throw a temper tantrum like a toddler. I had a solid moment of contemplation over the idea of leaving call centers tonight, and I truly just wanted to relax. I open the door and there were a few Christmas presents Hailie ordered for me from Amazon that showed up late, and she had put them all on display on the kitchen table.

But my eyes fixated on the manila envelope with a label from the state. 

No joke, the last time I've had a smile this big in a picture was for chicken and waffles at Solid, and that was over six years ago, so you know this is clearly an exciting moment for me. Don't take that analogy lightly, those are some damn fine chicken and waffles.

So this is it. I have my first appointment booked in the shop at 9:30 am for a haircut and a beard trim.

This is where I end the blog with a quick word of encouragement and go to bed, but instead I'm going to be real with you. I can't get to sleep because I have one thing on my mind that has been eating at me since April.

What the fuck did I get myself into? What if I suck at this and everything turns out to be an expensive mistake? What if I'm only ever mediocre.

I'm physically exhausted from asking myself what if questions and living in hypothetical worlds. Plain & simple, I'm over it. Hailie and I have been setting New Year's Resolutions, but this year, we are putting together action plans so we follow through with them. Knowing where it is that I want to be, I accept that 2016 isn't going to put me there, and more than likely, 2017 will still leave me shy of these goals. But starting right now, I am laying a path, brick by fucking brick, that takes me to where I want to be in 2018. Three years are all that I ask. I'm being realistic by giving myself time to develop my craft, and the chance to build new relationships.

Success looks a lot like hard work, and it sounds like the word yes. Let's get started.