I’m Back! Sorry….

No…. I didn’t forget about my blog nor did I decide to stop writing it. It’s been about 3 months since my last entry and I do apologize to all you readers for my lapse. However I have good reasons for my absence. A lot of what I have written about is about creating change in your life and stepping outside your comfort zone. So lemme give you an update on what changes have happened in my life……

The whole month of May, since I had quit my job, I spent most of it moving and packing my belongings into storage. It probably wasn’t a good idea that I picked a storage unit 40 minutes away from my house… but I guess you live and learn. Anyways, I ended up being a one man moving crew for a 1800 sq foot apartment with way too much junk. It sort of made me grateful that I worked in an office. Manual labor is tough. Working hard doesn’t always lead to success. It’s about working smart coupled with working hard that will guarantee the fulfillment of your dreams.

Then on Memorial Day weekend, I got married. After 1.5 years of waiting around and planning, it was all worth it. Having everyone there to celebrate was amazing. We tried not to have the focus on us even though it was our wedding. Our goal was to try and throw the best party we could for our friends. Nothing made us happier than seeing and hearing our friends and family having so much fun. Plus we knew it would probably be the last time we saw our friends for a while.   So what better way to say goodbye than with a huge party.

After we got married, we went to travel  Asia. We decided to do this because we knew that if we didn’t do it now, we may never get a chance to go. We ended up visiting Hong Kong, Bali, Macau, Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an and Taiwan. After Bali, we met up with my little brother and sister and traveled through China and Taiwan with them. We spent a total of 5 weeks in Asia. I must say, it was an eye opening experience. It wasn’t that I was surprised about what I saw or who I met, it was more the realization that my “world” was so small. I realized that most people, including myself, live in a 50 mile circle around their house for most of their lives. Flying over the vast oceans and the islands of the Pacific, I realized how insignificant our existence really is. So it gave me the awareness and desire to live a life of greater meaning… a life of significance!

So I finally got back to the states in early July and to make a long story short… we drove down with my car. Then I flew back to NY and drove down the 17′ Uhual with my wife’s car in tow by myself over 3 days… scary… wouldn’t do it again. Wouldn’t recommend it to anyone either. It it was great because it finally gave me a chance to to be by myself and think. I believe that it is fundamentally one of the most important things you can do to deal with stress, assess your goals, and create BIG dreams. Many times I get overloaded with juggling everything in my life and I end up losing myself for a while. Only until I give myself my “alone time” do I feel whole again. Try it… spend an afternoon by yourself at the park or riding your bike with no music… you’re vision for your future will become much clearer.

Finally I get to Dallas… ah… my new beginning… I never thought Dallas would be so right… but after being here for 2 months, I must say I like it better than Long Island. Their is more stuff to do here, lots of places to eat, cheaper cost of living, great shopping (from what I see), and most importantly the people here care. It’s strange to say but I like people asking me, “How are your doing?” and actually wanting a real answer instead of a curt NY style reply such as, “Good”. When I was in NY, I actually preferred people NOT caring… I guess it’s because I was just like everyone else… cynical and feeling no need to be overly nice to strangers. I do miss my friends and family, but now with internet and free long distance, they distance has shrunk quite a bit.
But I’m glad I am here. I wake up each morning and I am as happy as can be. What a difference a change in scenery can do for you. So this is my time to start fresh… all the mistakes I have made in the past have just been erased! I think that if you plan to take massive action in your life, you must plan for it ahead of time. With proper preparation, your chance of success is significantly greater. So go out and start planning the life you want to live. Be who you always wanted to be. Work where you always wanted to work. Live where you always wanted to live and be with whomever you’ve always wanted to be with. Everything is achievable…..as long as your are willing to make short term sacrifices for long term goals.

So that is the story of the last 3 months. However I purposefully left out one of the most dramatic changes in my life and that is my new business venture.  I promise you that this blog will be updated again like it had in the past. I realized that it really holds me accountable and keeps me always thinking positively and selflessly.

I originally started writing this blog to catalog my thoughts and process on how I “cook up success”. I wanted to give people a story of how my journey unfolds and the lessons I learn. So my next blog entry will truly be the start of a long term “case study” of how I am setting up my food service business up for success and all the challenges I will overcome. It’s not a matter of whether I will be successful or not. It’s only a question of how successful I will be. Only time will tell… but I will tell you things don’t look good……. they look AMAZING! Stay tuned…