At 10 Years, a Thanksgiving

I had as hard a time falling asleep last night as I did on June 14, 2000, which was the night before my first day at Newfangled. I’m not sure why I couldn’t fall asleep last night; I even went to bed early in preparation for my big day. Today wasn’t any different from any other day, though: I had a few meetings, followed up on some leads, made a bunch of new business calls, and had some great conversations with various Newfangleders. Nevertheless, the significance of this day has been unavoidable to me. This is surprising because I’m not usually prone toward reflection, possibly to a fault. I tend to think much more about tomorrow than yesterday, but maybe today carries so much meaning because of how much my life has changed since Eric gave me the chance of a lifetime ten years ago.

Knowing this date was coming up has led me toward a bit of reflection over the past few weeks. Ten years ago my wildest dream was to work for a company as great as Newfangled. Last week I had the honor of representing Newfangled by speaking at the HOW Conference, which was a very timely and appropriate culmination of all I had learned over this decade. 

When I walked in to my office this morning, there was a giant printout of this Andrian Kreye quote taped to my whiteboard. This, and the Fin Du Monde four-pack in the fridge, was the much appreciated handiwork of Chris Butler.

I’ve received so many gifts from Newfangled, its employees, and its clients over the years. Separating my experience with Newfangled from who I have become as a person is impossible. In thinking over the events of these Newfangled years I realize that I have been surprisingly blessed with one thing in particular: contentment. 

There hasn’t been a single time since my first day at Newfangled when I seriously considered doing anything other than working for Newfangled. The over-active human mind seems to enjoy leading us into battles we don’t necessarily want to fight–pulling us away from wonderful jobs and more–but I have had no such distraction since the day Eric let me in the door. This unexpected gift of focus has been generous and fruitful, and I am so thankful for it. 

I understand that this gift is a direct result of the environment that Eric created and that we have all sustained. It is a gift that my wife has given me, being an unreasonably loving, exciting, inspiring, and supporting force in my life through this entire journey. It is a gift everyone I have worked with and for has given me, by making each day a new experience I can’t wait to take part in. 

For me, today is a great and thankful day, and all I can think about is what’s coming next. Here’s to 10 more years.