Putting Yourself Out There

I’m predominantly an introvert. However, there are times when I find that I’m the one getting others to participate.

When I was in high school, I was in the Junior Reserved Officer Training Corps (JROTC). A year ahead of me was David McKoy. That is where we met and became friends. He was my escort at a military ball one year. Music was playing yet no one was dancing. We decided to get out there and dance. We broke the proverbial ice. Others soon joined in.

Flash forward to years later. David was out of the US Navy working security. I was out of the US Air Force working in the Health Information Management field. We connected again. When I knew I needed a change, we talked, and that conversation was the spark that created Call Sign: Wrecking Crew the book series and Call Sign Wrecking Crew, LLC.

For those unaware, book writing is not easy. We struggled together putting words on paper and then out into the world at large. Then came the marketing. That was how I came to be on LinkedIn. On LinkedIn is where I met the founder of SPN, Mike O’Connor. Now I’m a member of a growing network of like-minded people.

If I hadn’t bonded with David McKoy in high school. If I hadn’t reconnected with him and later on been supported by him through those days of struggling to create a book from his imagination and our collaboration, I highly doubt I’d know the people that I know today. Even though, David McKoy is no longer with us on this Earth, his legacy lives on through the books we wrote together.

My point: I wouldn’t be where I am right now if I didn’t take a chance. While my company and I are works in progress, I am better for having taken the time and the risks in those early days.

Don’t stand around, get out on the dance floor, meaning don’t wait to start your business. There will be struggles. There will be times when you want to toss all your efforts to the side. Remember all the struggles and frustrations will be worth it when you look back on all that you’ve accomplished.