Life has been moving a million miles per hour and I’m sitting in a rare 60 minute pocket where I can turn the phone off and get back to what got me here – sharing the unfiltered thoughts that bounce between my ears. This blog is me dumping thoughts – a journal of sorts – and I’m sharing it with the hope that it can encourage even just a single soul. Thank you for reading!
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It’s Been a While
For the past two years I’ve had my head down and that’s felt good. However, as I take a moment to come up for air I recognize that while I’ve been productive (and I hope impactful) much of it has happened on autopilot – I’ve been in the trenches but I haven’t created the space to zoom out. It’s been such a long time that my fingers have hit this keyboard and I’ve lost touch with the deep, meditative solitude that carried me through graduate school, into a career and into entrepreneurship. I used to spend hours reading, reflecting, writing and in the past two years I haven’t done enough of those things because life has been full of opportunities. However, I wonder sometimes if opportunities are distractions; if some of what feels productive isn’t ultimately important. I spend a lot of time thinking about finances, not because it’s an area of lack but because a deep fear of not having enough has driven me toward an obsessions with other extreme. I’ve always had enough and the only explanation for the previous sentence is that entrepreneurship has put me on edge – things can feel unstable even though complete ownership is the most stable thing we can purse (on this earth). One thing that I’ve leaned on through this adventure is faith and that’s something I’m praying for the boldness to talk more about. I’ve believed in God for as long as I can remember and I’ve come to know Him on a deeper level ever since meeting the woman who is now my wife. The truth is, I’m weak, I’m imperfect and I’m human. I can’t imagine what life would be like without a relationship with Jesus and while I’ve always been committed to loving others well, I want to get better at telling people about the God I know. Things like this don’t have to happen overnight but I’m practicing what I preach and taking small steps each day. Looking forward, I’m excited to start a family at some point (even though I don’t know when that will be). I want to be as present as possible for the people that matter most to me and part of me believes that I’ll get there when… when I have enough of this or when I accomplish that. Deep down, I know that the ego gets in the way and that I have an addictive, competitive nature. I won’t ever have “enough” if that’s the pursuit and so it can’t be. I need to pursue and place higher value on the things that we can’t ever get enough of – focused time with the people I love. This all makes sense in my mind but for some reason, there’s tension created from the tendencies to take people for granted; thinking “they’ll be here tomorrow.” I’m not sure if I’m alone in hearing that quiet whisper but it needs to be changed. I’ll be working on that. For now, I’ll wrap up this writing session with a sentiment of gratitude – I’m thankful for the space to write these words, for the chance that someone is reading them. I thank God for all of the ways in which He has blessed me (even when it feels like a curse at first) and I ask that I would have opportunities to grow into the person that I’m supposed to become.
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If you’re still reading, thank you.
Here’s a quote that I’ve been contemplating.
“Strength is about how you show up. It requires you to choose what energy and action you want to bring to a given situation. At its heart, strength is about self-management. It’s not about controlling your emotions—it’s about honoring them and choosing what you do next. It’s hard to stay in control and get yourself off autopilot. It takes a lot of strength to move through the world with more thoughtfulness and intention. And sometimes it requires a heavy lift!”
Darcey Luoma
Until next time –
Joe Rinaldi
IG: @joearinaldi
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Thanks for sharing, Joe! Carving out the time to share this with us all is a win in itself, as it is hard to go back to basics and do something that at the surface seems so simple, yet is hard now that life is taking over. Even for me, just taking a moment to read your blog post was a win, as it’s hard for me to take a moment out of my day to pause and listen/learn/read/etc., as there always seems to be other “more pressing/important” things to do, though that’s not always the case. Thanks again & keep up the great work!
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and leave this thoughtful comment, Tiffany 🫶