Friday, August 7, 2009

The Amy Factor


Today is part 9 of a 30 day commitment. To read about how I am blogging to change my life please read here first.

Those of you who have been reading this for the last 9 days know that I started this commitment to blog every day in order to get in the habit of writing. I want to write a book that will help people define what they want out of life and give them the confidence to know that they can get anything they want.

I talk a lot about being selfish and allowing yourself to pursue your dream, and sometimes it comes at a cost to the relationships around you. I truly believe that every one of us has the ability to get what they want. When trying to define the "hows" I keep struggling with one factor. It's the Amy factor.

I have been blessed with something that not everybody in this world is going to get. I found my soul mate. OK, if your not the romantic type you can call me corny. I really don't care. I mentioned earlier that I knew that I was going to marry Amy from the first time I kissed her. Amy and I were both overwhelmed with a feeling that we had known each other and found each other again when we kissed. I swear to God I went somewhere else during that kiss. I have never experienced anything like it.

Amy is the calm to my storm. It seems like all my character flaws are her exact strengths. She is the voice of reason when I am irrational. She knows exactly what to say when I am at a loss for words. She knows me better than me. I have told her over and over that I never would have been able to do what I have done with out her. Of course she tells me that I would have, but its not true.

So how am I supposed to come up with a system to benefit others if finding your soul mate is an important part of getting what you want? This continues to throw a wrench in my thought process. I really don't know if I would have the same positive outlook on life without Amy.

You may never find your soul mate, but perhaps its time to start paying attention to the people you are surrounded with. Are they supportive? Do they tell you to "go for it!" Do they ask you how they can help? If not, they could be having a stronger negative influence on your life than you realize. It think that it is human nature to pick up the traits of the people we are most exposed to. Surrounding yourself with people who have the same goals and beliefs makes it much easier to achieve your goals. Life is just like business (and vice-versa). You can accomplish a lot on your own with hard work, but you can accomplish a LOT more with a good team. Amy and I are an incredible team.

Every time I asked Amy about making a big change, like moving or starting the business, she has been right there with me. She has shown me unwavering support and trusted me fully. Right now she's our bookkeeper and it is definitely not her life goal. She has done whatever it took to make our company a success. She has learned so much and gained so much confidence. She has done an amazing job raising the kids, and she is always the glue of this family. She has helped me become a far better father than I would be on my own. She is my best friend and one of my biggest goals is to support her in her quest to find her life mission. I want her to be more selfish and me to be less selfish.

I want her to be as happy as she has made me.

4 comments:

Kelly Walter said...

Amy is an amazing, beautiful, loving, intelligent, and full-of-light woman! I'd say you're "lucky" to have her, but water seeks it's own level. You guys are an inspiration. Synergy is a beautiful thing...

Sonia said...

What a beautiful tribute to a very special person. Not only is Amy an incredibly positive force in your life, Nate, she brings the same optimism to my life as well.

You are right on target with tonight's blog. Positive influences are energizing. It's almost as though they help create a flow, an easier way of being. Negative influences take so much effort to counteract. They suck the life out of you. Even if one wants to stay positive, when surrounded by negative influences, it feels like you are pushing a boulder up a mountain.

Looking forward to the next entry.

Anonymous said...

"Amy is the calm to my storm". I think that may be the most beautiful line ever. Truly you are a writer Nate!! Great post!

Anonymous said...

The interesting thing about this post is not just that you and your wife have a marriage that most people, including myself would die for.

On a personal level I am forever inspired by watching the two of you and knowing that as a single person that I am doing the right thing by being selective and waiting for "the one" because love like that really does exist.

On a more philosophical level though, I think the important thing to take from this post is that Amy has the extraordinary ability to see things in others that they cannot always see in themselves. That ability runs are very important parallel to what you are trying to accomplish in your writing.

It is not enough to just be "inspiring", you have to be able to reach people. You have to help them look within themselves and see that they are worth more than they ever thought possible. Unless they are able to believe in themselves, people will never take the risks that lead to success because they are too afraid to fail.