This blog is a journal of sorts – I feel like I need to write and see what comes out and figured that it couldn’t hurt to share it with whoever else needs to hear it. Over the past few years I’ve worked very hard, had a lot of fun and it’s all felt like a blur. In the process I’ve put what over who and I’m focused on changing that. Here are some thoughts.
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Who > What
It’s wild to look back and think that in 2016 I was starting graduate school; stepping into the unknown despite uncertain circumstances and choosing a path that (I can see now) wasn’t going to last as long as I thought. This path led me to my wife, a deeper faith and connections/experiences that allowed me to build the courage to take a leap. In 2021 I began Project Endure and haven’t looked back. The entrepreneurial process has been a rollercoaster that I’ve learned to love and has helped me grow as a human more than I thought possible. While I’ve learned so much from building this business, I can see that I was so focused on building (what) that I left little room for people (who).
To be clear, the business that I’m building is centered on coaching, driven to impact people and focused on lifting others up. In other words, Project Endure is all about WHO. However, in the process of building I’ve been selfish in many ways (and maybe I’ve had to up to this point). There have been friendships that I haven’t nurtured how I want, opportunities that I haven’t taken to serve others and moments where I’ve put what the business needs over what the people I care about need. Some might argue that in order to execute on a meaningful mission that sacrifice is required (I don’t disagree) but I don’t want that to come at the cost of what matters most: relationships.
Side note: I don’t believe that balance is something that you can find and hold onto. Instead, I see life as managing seasons of imbalance and that’s what I’m coming out of with business – a simple season of (chosen) imbalance.
I’ll be vulnerable here and share that my biggest fear is spending my entire life focused on impacting so many people who I don’t know that I end up neglecting people who I know and love the most. I’m a work in progress (like all of us) and these words are me reminding me that impact doesn’t always need to be big or through business – the most beautiful impact is often deep and personal. This year is a chance for me to focus on what matters most and creating space that doesn’t need to be filled with anything other than the present moment. Here’s to pursuing a different kind of hard – doing less while allowing accomplishment (business) to come second to alignment (loving others well).
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I hope that the thoughts above sparked something in you. Before you leave this blog, here’s a question that you might find helpful – does how you spend your time reflect what you say you want and who you say you are?
“You have to decide what your highest priorities are and have the courage – pleasantly, smilingly, nonapologetically – to say ‘no’ to other things. And the way you do that is by having a bigger ‘yes’ burning inside.”
Stephen Covey
Focus on what matters most.
Joe Rinaldi
IG: @joearinaldi
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