How Life Has Been Going These Past Few Years

This was a post I made about 3 years ago. 2022 was a great year for me. I traveled to a lot of tournaments, and got to meet so many people; many of which I wouldn't recognize if I meet again so don't be mad at me please (I can't remember all these got dang faces!).

Anyway, this X/Twitter post I made was of me reflecting on all the traveling, filming, and editing I did the entire year. I was proud of myself for reaching 1,000 subscribers. I never thought I could reach so many people. It gave me hope for the future, and I was so excited to continue this journey.

Then 2023 hit.

This was the worst year of my life.

My Wells Fargo remote job fired me, so I had to stop traveling to work at U-Haul. I had quit my job at U-Haul in 2021 and moved to Albuquerque when I landed the remote job. It felt like I was back at square one.

The remote job was fining me $10,000 because I had breached their contract to stay in Houston. They were ending remote work, but I had no idea I wasn't allowed to move. There are Wells Fargo locations everywhere, so I thought I could just work at any location.

In addition to U-Haul, I also decided to work at Whataburger to make more money to pay for the fine.

All of these things hit me so hard. I had no idea what to do. I felt like I had failed. I was just at the top of the world, traveling to several different states and even Canada. Now I'm stuck in a small fast food kitchen taking orders.

After a few months working at Whataburger, I decided to quit. My mental health was deteriorating, and it was taking everything in me not to just up and leave while on the shift. They mainly had me at the window taking orders or handing the food out. It was tearing me up inside having to stand in one spot without any freedom of movement.

After about 7-8 months working at U-Haul, I decided to drive back to Houston for a break. I was only planning to be there for about a month. Unfortunately, my car was having issues, and would not be able to handle the long drive back to Albuquerque. I needed to make some money to fix the car before I could make my trip back. I called my boss at the U-Haul location in Albuquerque and asked him to transfer me to my old location in Houston.

This was an amazing experience. Initially, I felt like an utter failure having to go back to the job I had left when I got my remote job opportunity with Wells Fargo. I was back in the same place I was when I started. It felt embarrassing seeing the coworkers I had told I was leaving for a better job just about a year ago. I thought I was back at square one.

However, this feeling within me did not remain that way. My coworkers were so kind and understanding. They did not look down or belittle me, they welcomed me and appreciated my presence. I had a lot of fun hanging out with them. It never felt like I was working when I was around them. My mental health was improving through an unexpected source.

Before I left back to Albuquerque, me and my coworkers had a going away party at an Anime bar. I'm so glad I got the chance to go back to my old job. It not only humbled me, but changed the way I viewed success. I no longer want to work in a office job or even a salaried job. I feel that true success is when you are able to do what you want without fear of failure. The happiness I felt going back to the U-Haul in Houston showed me that as long as I'm around people who uplift and make me happy, I don't care how much money I'm making.