Wow. What a couple of weeks it has been!
A couple of you have reached out checking on me, and I appreciate that so much; it’s just another reminder of how blessed I am. This issue is going to be more of a life update than anything deep or even educational. Plenty of time for that down the road. :)
A few people have seen a recent post on socials, and a couple have reached out asking why I’ve been quiet. It’s just because life, haha. But in the best way.
“Are you ready?”
Saturday, 9/12, I was up by about 3:30 a.m. and heading to the airport to fly to OC and hopefully pull off a surprise engagement. This was WAY more difficult and tricky than I anticipated, and it could not have happened without the help of one of my girl’s best friends (thank you, Andrea!). But in the end, we made it happen.
I’ll spare you all the romantic details. But I remember vividly, waiting at the bottom of the hill at Salt Creek Beach, waiting on her to arrive (for what she thought was a photo shoot with her friend, not knowing I was in town), and the photographer asked me such a simple question. He asked me if I was ready.
.
And I was nervous. Heart pounding, excited, exhausted, and strangely calm…. and I knew the answer. I WAS ready.
For me, this was such a huge moment. Not just because I was about to ask the most amazing woman I have ever met to marry me, but because I was actually, READY.
I wondered after my divorce if I would ever do this again. If I would find my soulmate, my unicorn. I wondered if I was lovable, if I was still broken, if I was even worthy of a happily ever after.
And then I thought about the work I have put in. The self-reflection, the therapy, the intentional time to grow and do better and become a better person. I thought about how my friend group has slowly changed and morphed into a supportive group of peers who push me to succeed in ALL areas of life, not just business. I thought about the manifesting I did: writing a list of who I wanted and needed in a partner, and then not being willing to settle for less than that. I had no idea God and the universe would help me find that person on a bus in Hawaii, or that the timing would be so much sooner than I ever expected…. I just knew I was trying to be the person who would attract the soulmate I someday wanted.
So ya, when the moment came and the photographer asked me if I was ready, the answer was a clear and confident yes.
Then I saw her on that hill, coming down to meet me…. and nothing else mattered.
Somehow, someway, I have been fortunate enough to have actually found my unicorn. I get to have a happy ending too. I’m so grateful for the life I have already lived, even the pain and heartache and my own failures and mistakes, because in the end I got a second chance at everything I ever wanted.
And she said yes. :)
The whirlwind
What followed was a whirlwind of bliss. The engagement party with her friends (and one of my own forum mates, who flew with her husband all the way there for a two-hour party just to be able to celebrate with me! Aivel, you rock). A few days of downtime at a Miraval property in Arizona. Flying home just to pick up the kids and drive straight to Asheville to watch my team crush an events setup with the PGA for another tournament. (Even bit the kids to work for a bit haha) A couple of days of normal life and homework and more tough calls with the business. And then right back to California to watch a beautiful wedding of new friends; another ripple in the pond that comes from putting great things out and the universe sending it back to you.
I know, I know. I am on cloud nine right now, and that’s ok. I have finally accepted something….I’ll say it again. I deserve happiness too.
Why am I sharing all this?
It’s personal, and it might feel like bragging. I am not. I have said the whole point of this is to be vulnerable, to be transparent about the ups and downs. I have had some hard days (like we all have) and I have shared those. And I have had some amazing days…. Both sides of life can be learned from, and it’s important to talk about the good as much as learn from the bad.
I have had one-on-one conversations with many of you, and we have shared candidly our hopes and dreams and fears and failures. In some ways this newsletter is a chronicle of all of that: what I have learned from you, and sharing my own experiences in a way that encourages and maybe teaches you something as well.
My takeaway here? Life is hard, but it can be beautiful. We are human; we make mistakes. But we can learn, we can grow, we can put in the work to make our own lives better…. and IF we do (and I am here to encourage you to do so!), then we can’t be surprised when we find what we are looking for. Even when that is happiness.
That’s all for now. I’ll be back to writing about business shenanigans soon (holy smokes, we have so much going on!). Thanks for reading. I hope you’re as encouraged today as I am grateful.
Still not quite there yet, and never will be. But damn if I’m not glad to be moving in the right direction. :)
Ryan
Not Quite There Yet Guy
CEO & Co-Founder, Knowledge Perk | Chair, Gravity Center Foundation | EO Charlotte