For those of you who know me, I am a very focused and driven person. Just give me the destination or desired end point. Once I understand the destination, then I ("we") will figure out how to get there. Of course, the impact on people around me was to either help achieve that result or just stay out of the way. Afterall, that formula seemed to work successfully throughout my career, whether it be leading major changes and transformations of business or turnaround of companies in trouble.
During the period of 1998 - 2003, I had been commuting to other cities every week: CyberCash in Reston, VA; HostPro and Interland, in Boise, Id; Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; and Atlanta, GA.; individual consulting projects in Denver, CO; Dallas, Ft. Worth, etc. It wasn't that I enjoyed living on a plane and out of a hotel or apartment away from my family, however, I did this so my family would actually be able to stay in one spot, Lake Forest, IL and enable my girls to attend Lake Forest schools through high school. At the same time, I knew that the stress of traveling and being away from my family during the week would take its toll. Early in 2003, I prayed that God would help me change my routine. The scripture verse in Proverbs 3: 5 - 6 was particularly important during this time, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straignt".
During the time I was traveling so much, my blood counts continued to decline. My white counts got as low as 1.7 compared to a normal range of 3.0 - 10.0 and my red counts dropped to 10.0 compared to a normal range of 12.0 - 18.0. These were not terribly bad numbers relatively speaking, however the trend was worrisome. I continued to feel fine during this whole time period, thus not feeling any symptoms that the doctors told me I would face. I continually prayed that God would somehow reverse the trend of the counts. I stopped all of the weekly commuting around country in late 2002 and focused my business and search for projects in the local Chicago area. Coincidentally (I have come to believe there is no such thing as a coincidence), my blood counts turned around and began to trend up into the normal range, where they have been since 2003. My Oncologist couldn't figure me out, but he would just say let's continue to monitor your counts. I simply told him that I wasn't worried and that God was in control.
He opened a door in September, 2003 when I decided to join Tatum CFO Partners and gave up (or at least mothball my own company, Ascend Group, Ltd.) my own consulting business. It was a month later that I met Lee Jones, CEO of Essential Group, Inc. (at that time known as AmericasDoctor) and eventually became the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, where I remain today. I struggled with this move initially, because I really liked the independence of my own consulting practice, yet God made it clear that the Company's needs and my specialty in skills was an excellent fit. Besides I also knew that the reduced travel schedule would reduce the stress in my life. Looking back, we have accomplished some incredible milestones and results with the company. However, my biggest joy is working with outstanding people and, specifically, working with an executive team that are christians. There is nothing like being able to take time out during the day and pray with regardless of whether it is a personal matter or a business matter. Lee, has been particularly inspirational and supportive in that aspect. Can you imagine? A CFO and CEO actually praying together during the course of the day. The shock of it all :>)
I look back and am blown away by God's consistent message and plan for me. Whether it be through small groups and weekly Bible study, fellowship with Christian business men and women, attending Bob Buford's Halftime seminar in Dallas, etc. BTW, I highly recommend that you at read Bob Buford's book entitled "Halftime". If possible, sign up and attend his seminar. It is an incredible personal and spiritual growth experience that basically gets you to focus on what is next in life that is significant to you. After having completed your first 2 quarters of life, what is your focus, strategy and commitment to "finishing out your life". What is your significance? Ever been through the exercise of writing what you would like your tombstone to say? Think about it.
et me for a minute wind back to September, 2007. I went in for my seminannual checkup (the frequency of doctor visits had reduced over the 8 years from every 2 months to every 6 months) with my oncologist for blood work and an overall checkup. My oncologist looked at me and shook his head and bascially said that given my counts, I was one of the 1% of MDS patients that may have cured themselves. I had gotten to the point where I believed MDS had been defeated. Little did I know that my appointment with him in March, 2008 was to lead to a CT Scan and a bone marrow biopsy. That evening I read a scripture verse from Psalms 51:12 "Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me". I would learn months later why that scripture was so important.
So you might ask, what is the point of "The Last 8 Years? No matter where you are in your journey, NEVER get complacent. My advice to you is to truly live each day as if it is your last. Demonstrate love to your spouse, your children, your friends. There are so many precious things that we miss in our busy lives. Step back and take a breath. Write down 2 -3 things every day that are meaningful to you. Those bad moments and days suddenly aren't so bad any more. God was preparing me for what I as to face in 2008.
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