I turn 28 next week…
… and although that’s not the most significant of birthday’s, but right now it feels very much as if it’s the turning point to being a proper adult.
Indeed in recent weeks there’s been a lot of things going on that have meant in many ways I’ve had to take a long hard look at what I’m doing and really grow up.
The topic of my inner thought over the past few weeks has been responsibility, and how if I’m completely honest with myself up to now I didn’t really have any.
Sure I have bills to pay and client deadlines to meet, but now things have changed. My business partner and I have just taken on a studio space, so now I have a responsibility to him to be able to pay the rent every month.
My dog (who I don’t often talk about as to me he’s my escape when work gets stressful), has a serious health condition and if I can’t afford to pay for his medicine every month, the unthinkable is going to happen.
(I want to talk about health in a future blog as it’s something that’s waying heavy on my mind).
And I’m just about to start some new business ventures, one of which I feel particularly lucky to have the opportunity to make a go of, and therefore I feel I’ve got a responsibility to put absolutely everything I can in to making them at success.
I’ve said it before, by this point in life I’d always hoped that by this age I’d have achieved something so momentous that I would be famous and well respected within my chosen field.
Nowadays with the advent of the internet and the myriad of opportunities it’s brought and the numerous examples of teenage who have made millions, it seems to me there’s seems that there is a huge societal pressure to be a success even before you’ve reached adulthood.
And I’m not even close.
But on reflection I’m so glad that I haven’t reached that point yet.
Sure, I’m frustrated I’m not further along but I’ve learned so much from my mistakes…
There’s a saying I once saw that said something along the lines of “you’ll get there as soon as you’re ready” and it stuck with me.
I wish I knew the answer to if whether our destiny is fully our own or whether we’re being guided along a certain path in our lives and careers but the immense good fortune I’ve had in my own career (the level of which everyday I really feel undeserving of but at the same time immensley grateful for) leaves me to believe that there is a bigger picture behind it all.
My favourite business thought leader Gary Vaynerchuk often says he feels so much younger than is and to me that’s reassuring. At the time of writing he’s 42 and often tells people he meets…
“I might be over 40, but I feel like I’m just starting”.
Although Gary is unimaginably more successful than I am and again his advice will be far far more beneficial to you than my musings, I take solace in the fact that he feels this way when he’s more advanced in years than myself.
(“More advanced in years” is a nice, respectful way I was once told to say someone’s older than you should you ever need it).
Maybe you’re not supposed to be a superstar at 18 because you need to learn an important lesson at 32 that changes your course in life so by you’re 56 you’ll be in position to achieve something monumental.
One of my favourite actors and now YouTube creator Josh Peck, recently released a video of him surprising his friends with the news he was going to be a Father (it’s amazing if you have the time to watch, link here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYkn4ZlvSVA)
In the video he visits widely respected filmmaker Casey Neistat who talks about how after becoming a parent you realise the life you were living before was a hugely selfish one and after becoming a parent you will always have a purpose, drive and ‘fuel in your tank’ because you know you need to deliver for the people dependant on you.
I know my new responsibilities aren’t even close to the level or signifigance that a parent has, but recent changes in my life have given me somewhat of the same effect.
So you may be getting older and my intuition says that’s a good thing, because if you’re young that means that maybe you haven’t had the experiences and life lessons you need in order to be truly successful.
And what’s more, maybe the added motivation age and responsibility brings will spur you on to a far more meaningful and greater goal.
I wish you every success.
Jack
What I’m Currently Reading…
‘Crushing It’ — by Gary Vaynerchuk — it’s a great one! Check it out here… https://amzn.to/2t13pmR)
About Jack
I help people, brands and business communicate more effectively with their customers through visual, audio and written content.
I do this through Southpaw Sport, the sports content marketing company I’m currently building as well as on a freelance basis working for agencies and production companies.
Visit www.jacktompkins.co
You can follow me on YouTube where I post weekly vlogs sharing my experience and opinion on content production.
YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/user/jackt18
And my social media for behind the scenes look at what I’m up to
Instagram — @jackwrtompkins
Twitter — @jackwrtompkins