DTo be honest, getting lost didn’t happen overnight – nope, it was a slow process and one I didn’t see coming until I was, well, lost.

My wife and I are both educators – she was a teacher, then an assistant principal, and now a principal – and I was involved in technology. Her role was classroom facing, parent facing, and full of after school meetings. My role allowed me to work from anywhere and be the primary caregiver at home.

I was primarily responsible for the grocery shopping, laundry, shuttling kids here and there, making meals, and ensuring that homework was done. And because of my obsessive compulsiveness, I was the one who made sure the house was squared away, made sure everyone’s calendars were synched, and planned all of the family’s travels – they called me Mr. Logistics.

I THRIVED on being the go-to guy for our family. And to be honest my entire identity was wrapped up in helping others – at work as the tech guy and at home as the helpful husband and father. 

It was all I knew until it wasn’t.

Fast forward to September 2020 smack in the middle of the pandemic. My son is in his senior year of college, my daughter in her junior year and my wife lands an amazing new job which requires us to move to a new state — but not until July 2021.

Here’s where my rediscovery begins. I had 9 months to ponder what would come next for me because I knew staying in educational technology wasn’t what I wanted to do anymore. And, the kids were, for the most part, out of the nest – at least part of the time.

I started to ask questions like….

Who am I?

What would I do?

Who would I help?

How would I contribute?

If I am being honest, September 2020 to November 2020 was rough. Probably three of the toughest months of my life. I started to binge eat and drink and spent my free-time wallowing in my own self-doubt. Yes, I was throwing myself a HUGE pity party and I was depressed.

Then, in November 2020 I found the Coaching & Positive Psychology Institute — I had discovered my purpose.

I knew helping people figure out what they want, why they want it and to teach them how to get out of their own way so they can get it was my life’s calling.

Between December 2020 and summer 2022 I continued to rediscover myself. 

My son graduated college in May 2021 and my daughter in May 2022. And in the span of one month in April 2022 we moved them both into adult apartments, purchased furniture, and kitchen stuff, and then they were done – gone from the nest.

I learned that when the kids are grown and gone from the home that I still support them, just in different ways.

I learned that life isn’t ending, it is only beginning.

I rekindled my love affair with my wife.

I found other ways to spend my time.

I invested in myself.

I learned.

I grew.

I explored.

I took trips.

I lived my best life – and still am.

And so can you!