Be Like Mike

Just do it and be like Mike are phrases generally associated with the athletic brand Nike but from now on they will become mottos to live my life by.

I have this friend Mike.  I met Mike at my first job out of college.  I was working at a fitness facility managing their programs and it was my first MOD (manager on duty) shift so I was stuck working at the club until 8pm.  Mike was working with me and to this day I swear our first conversation was one of the strangest I’ve had with anyone in my life.

Within minutes of meeting him, Mike revealed his master plan to me.  He told me that he wanted to marry an Italian girl.  Now I know you might be thinking that that’s not an uncommon statement and Snooki’s always looking for love so it’s a very realistic possibility to settle down with a nice Italian girl, however, Mike wasn’t looking for just some jersey shore guidette.  Mike wanted to move to Italy to find the girl who would be his bride. 

I can remember sitting in my chair thinking this kid is absolutely out of his mind!  Mike is a cute guy.  He was smart, funny, charming and could have had any girl he wanted so he definitely didn’t need to leave the town, let alone the country to find someone to be with.    Who moves to Italy to find a girl?  Who gives up everything they’ve worked for and moves to another country to teach English and find a wife?  Who goes into something this major with no plan, no guaranteed outcome, and no safety net?  Well 6 years later, I can answer all those questions.  Mike does that.

It took him only a few months over there to meet his future Mrs. and now they live a wonderful life back here in PA, happily married and very much in love.  Last night, I had drinks with Mike’s sister and was surprised to see that she had adopted the Mike lifestyle.  For Beth, she’s not looking for love but she is looking for adventure and as I listened to her rattle off all the exciting plans she had set up, I couldn’t help but think, I want to be like Mike too.

I felt energized by our conversation and as Beth repeated “Just Do It!” over and over to me, I decided she’s right.  It’s time to just do it and be like Mike!  Up until this point, this blog has helped me commit to doing the things I say I’m going to do but they’ve all been small things.  While I completely believe that the little things will lead to the bigger things, I was never quite sure what exactly those would be.  After last night I really thought about it and now I have some pretty great ideas.  I’m not quite ready to put them out there yet but my master plan will all be unveiled in due time.  I will say this, it’s time for me to jump and see if I really can fly.   

Dreams are just wishful thinking unless you decide to make them happen.  Maybe moving to Italy to marry an Italian girl isn’t the most practical thing to do but why do we always have to be practical?  There will always be a bill we will have to pay or responsibilities or reasons not to do things but do you really want to wake up one day with a good credit score, a dependable reputation, and a laundry list of excuses as to why you never really took any risks in order to have those once in a lifetime experiences you've always hoped for? 

"You're the only one who can make the difference.  Whatever your dream is, go for it." - Magic Johnson