Life Changes

I started down a path over the past year toward some major changes in my life. In the next few months, everything I have known up until now will change in some way. My marital status, where I live, what part of the country I reside, my heath and fitness, even my job and possibly, if I am lucky, my career. As I have started each individual journey on this quest, I have been amazed at how many different aspects and details there are to each. By themselves they are a mountain to climb, full of potential pitfalls and hidden ravines but also containing beautiful plateaus staring out at breathtaking vistas. Combined, they form a mountain range of adventures that will all culminate in a short time frame one after the other.

As I travel on this road, I have found it interesting how many different things are involved and how many people are affected in different ways. Some people will become bigger parts of my life, some smaller while others are starting to come back into my life. Now, I am not a famous person, nor one who wields substantial influence over people, trends or society. I am not a mover or a shaker, but I have always thought of myself as rather rich in my relationships with friends and family. As this path has unfolded, how many people are affected, even in small ways, by the decisions I have made for my life still boggles the mind. All told, by a rough count, probably over a hundred or more people will feel the affects of the decisions I have made. Perhaps I am undercounting, but it seems about right. It made me feel good to know how much I mean to others, and reminded me how much they mean to me.

But in thinking about these things, my situation also made me think of a far more public figure who also decided to shake things up in his life in the last year. The man to whom I refer is Dale Earnhardt Jr., who decided last year to make a move to leave the team his father built and race for a new team and explore new opportunities in his life. I found a commonality between Junior and myself and our vastly different situations. Like me he chose to make changes in his life to find something better, even though the change would be difficult and it required giving up some things he held near and dear to him. But the ramifications of this man’s decision and how it affected so many people is stunning.

The people at DEI – By Junior leaving, everyone that works at DEI has been affected. By losing their biggest draw, and namesake, they move from a top tier team to a second tier team. They no longer have the same cache in the garage nor do they have a draw of fans. Losing their sole star effects their psyche and livelihood.

The people at Hendricks – those that work for Hendricks Motorsports have suddenly watched their already star laden team propelled into another stratosphere. By adding Junior to their stable of drivers, their top tier team is now considered an all star team and the one to beat each and every week. Adding this star bolsters their already high esteem and adds to their livelihood.

The sponsors for Hendricks – they get a boost from having Junior in the Hendricks fold. It changes how they advertise; promote their products and how they sponsor their motorsport cars. Something tells me each company that has a stake in Hendricks has increased their promotions, marketing and sales teams thanks to the addition of one driver, in whom they have no specific stake.

The people at Budweiser – this change affects not only their advertising department, but every aspect of their motorsports sponsorship and others that work for the company. By losing Junior, they no longer have that one superstar in their fold, and one upon which much advertising centers. While Budweiser is an industry leader, such a loss will invariably affect the bottom line.

The people at AMP Energy – those who create and push this line of energy drinks now find themselves at the center of a whirlwind called Dale Jr. Undoubtedly having such a famous man as the face of their product every Sunday has increased their business, earnings, workload, production, output and employment. I’d be willing to bet a few people have new jobs thanks to this windfall caused by Junior being on board.

The US government, the National Guard and the Armed Forces – No doubt they’ve seen a spike in interest with Junior racing for the National Guard. Whether this translates into new recruits, or merely just added support, has yet to be shown. But with such a marquee name speeding around the track each week with their name on his car, you better believe their reaping some sort of reward.

The people at Gibbs racing – while only being affected in minor ways, these men and women find themselves surfing the waves created by Junior’s wake. Although the flirtation with acquiring Junior was minor and short, the affects are long term as a former Hendricks driver is now in their fold thanks to the changes in their biggest rival. Plus the press they received in their brief courting of the superstar most likely left long term ripples.

The people at RCR – the thought of Junior racing for his father’s old team, and perhaps racing with his old number, created quite the buzz around the NASCAR garage. While this dream scenario never came to pass, it did impact everyone in the company, if only for a short time.

The people in NASCAR – watching their marquee star suddenly switch teams and allegiances has changed the way everyone within the league’s offices go about their business of running, promoting and selling the sport.

The fans – everyone that follows the sport has been affected by this change. Those most affected were the fans that love Junior and hate Gordon and or Johnson. They have had to change their whole fan belief system in order to continue supporting their favorite driver.

It is not an understatement to say that the decisions of one man have affected possibly millions of people in some way. And his decisions are not ones that have life or death ramifications, like the decisions made by leaders of nations or armies. Watching how one man can affect so many in an effort to find something better for his life is awe inspiring and intimidating and yet at the same time completely relatable. I feel the changes and decisions I’ve made for my life are just as important, and in many ways parallel those of this very famous man.

In trying to find a better path for his life, and the type of success he has been looking for, Junior gave up one of the last few connections to his late father, to whom he was very close. He also gave up daily associations with many friends, personal involvement in the business that bears his name and the only home in the racing world he has ever known. For anyone, these things might be too great a price to pay just to find what one might be searching for.

But what he has found is a new home that has welcomed him with open arms. He found an owner, who like him understands the pain of losing someone close to him. He has found a path toward the kind of professional success he has longed to acquire. And for the first time in a long time, perhaps since his father’s untimely death, he has found some peace, security, contentment and happiness.

While my decisions are not as large, nor do they affect even a fraction of the people as his did, but they are just as life changing. I too am making changes to find professional and personal success. I too am looking for some security and contentment. While he found someone who can relate to the loss of a close family member, I’m looking to become closer to immediate family by being able to spend more time with them. And I too will be giving up friends and a life I have built over 9 years in order to find something to give me satisfaction and help build a better life for myself and my soon to be wife.

The future at this point of my life stands before me wide open much like a long stretch of highway on an uphill grade. The road is laid out before me, I know the twists and turns ahead and I have an idea of what to expect. I know there will be some potholes and rough patches. What I do not know, thanks to that uphill grade, is what awaits me once I crest that hill. A multitude of potential adventures, experiences and wonders, both good and bad, lie in wait. The only thing missing from triggering all of them is me. And soon, whether I’m ready or not, I’ll be upon them full of pep and vinegar and eager to dive into every one of them.

While I plan, scheme, anticipate and day dream of what waits before me, the only way I’ll ever know what will happen is to keep pushing forward into the big scary unknown. I know I can do it, though. The thought of the potentially great things on that horizon are too much of a draw to stop now. My only hope when I do hit that summit is that I too, much like Junior, will be able to find some of the things I have been longing to find. And hopefully a few wonderful surprises I never expected as well. And I hope that the things I find will be enough to overcome those that I have sacrificed. I hope.