A SURRENDER STORY, PART 1/2
CONTEXT
The following story has been a long time coming. That is to say that I have wanted to share this here for quite some time.
Today it emerged from me as a natural + utterly unforced response to a question posted by a friend.
It seems that this chapter of my story is now prepared to be made use of - prepared to be enjoyed.
CONTINUED…
"Is there anyone out there who has been successful without strategy or planning?" This is the single, poignant question to which this story is a response.
I intend to share my story with you here in two separate parts. The second will release tomorrow.
I so hope that this can be of use to you. Let's get started.
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT
Prior to the work that I am engaged in now, my professional life revolved around strategy. I started out early on working in Sales Development, inventing Ongoing Sales Strategies with a team based out of Arizona.
From there, I transitioned into Process Improvement, working with aerospace manufacturing companies to strip + evaluate production processes in order to propose alternative solution strategies.
This matured into delivery of Continuous Improvement Strategies so that my clients could expect ongoing perfection of the processes we had implemented.
It was at this time that I first began referring to myself as an “Efficiency Expert.”
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Eventually, I left the manufacturing world to pursue work that felt more aligned with my interests: namely, writing. This (somehow) led me into a series of opportunities related to business development.
I helped a struggling Arizona venue turn a profit for the first time in its history. I worked with a Scottsdale, AZ millionaire to source, plan, and implement dozens of start-up brands.
My portfolio expanded rapidly. I became an expert in Business Development. My resume began to read like a Strategy Expert’s Handbook, describing experience in:
Business Development + Launch Strategies
Branding Development Strategy
Web Development Strategy
Marketing Strategies
Content Strategy
and more!
Before long (a few years), it became apparent that this work was only barely more fulfilling than the work that I had been previously engaged in.
So I prepared to shift gears yet again.
DRAFT MY STORY
I decided to take another big step toward my personal dream: I wanted to work remotely as a writer, and I wanted to be picky about the people that I worked with.
So I launched a copywriting business named Draft My Story using all of the skills that I had picked up in previous years to support the process.
I moved to San Francisco. Of course, the business grew rapidly: within months, I was making more money than ever before.
But there was one problem: I wasn’t happy. I had “made it to the top,” but I was still completely unfulfilled.
The business still felt inauthentic… so I dissolved it.
A NEW RESOLUTION
I made a new decision. (A terrifying one.) I decided that I would stop at nothing to uncover a way of being in life that was authentic to me. Obviously, “close enough” wasn’t good enough for me.
I needed to find my authentic place in all of this. I needed the work to generate itself - to radiate from me as an effortless expression of my most authentic nature.
But first I needed to find out what that was. I figured it might take 90 days or so. (It did not.)
In fact, it took nearly 3 years.