I Lost It All: Now What?

The year was 2003. It was just weeks away from my second roommate in four years getting married. It was time for me to stop having roommates and get a place of my own. I worked many hours; during the day I was out going from business to business working cleaning cars for customers. When I did not have customers scheduled I would go to office buildings and look for new customers. This was a time in my life that I would leave my home at around 8 am then, after washing and detailing cars till 7 pm I would sometimes serve at different events going on at my church. Most days I did not see my home again until 9 pm.

Over five months I had rebuilt the engine in my truck. Having a truck that was in good running condition meant I could now keep my expenses low to continue to build my business. Then came the roommate getting married and having to change my world to get another place. So in the late nights at the beginning of May, I started packing my truck up at night and moving things over to my new place.

Then one night I packed my truck full, furniture, computers , sound system, desks, tables, it was my next to last load of things to move. All I would have left would be my bed and my TV. The next morning when I got up at 6 am to head out early, after the usual shower and clean up I walked outside to find my truck had been stolen with almost everything I owned in it.

As I read this back while writing it, my life is so much better than it was at that moment. It was a hard day in my life, the feeling that everything I needed to keep my life going was gone. What would I do now? For me I have had some things similar to this event happen a few times in my life. Two months after this happened I lost my best friend to a heart attack while he was on vacation. Two years after that, I was starting over after selling my business, ended up spending all the money and became homeless. Life can give you some hard times. Some you place on yourself, others you set yourself up for, and others come in and steal from you.

It’s hard to say that, but had I parked my car in the garage that night, no one could have seen what things were inside it and they couldn’t have stolen it so easily. But that is another story. For today I want to look at your life and ask you what is important? There was one important thing that I lost that day; one of the things in my truck was a Bible that I used at the time and it had so many of my notes in it on learning in life. That day with the help of friends I had a car to use and tools to be able to work to clean my customers’ cars that weekend. As my friend Brian was taking me home that night from a day’s events, he asked me what is one good thing you could see come out of this? I said if the thief found my bible and was able to read it and find Jesus, that would be a good thing.

In this life you will lose many things. From your car, to your car keys. Some will have a large impact in your life, others will set you back for a few days. No matter where you are in life, start where you are and build again. In my life I am so glad for what I have now. I am able to work to help people. As I talk with people each day, hearing challenges they are facing in reaching the goals, or the dream life they are searching for, I am able to look through more problems than they could ever see. When I get to see a victory in a someone’s life after coaching them through those dark times, I see those times that I went through are a guide to now let me help you.

Wherever you are, if you are at a loss in your life, stop and find what you do have. Decide what it will take to move from where you are to reach the goals you were headed towards. Set up a new game plan and get to work. You may find, as I did a year later, that you will sell the current business you have and see an entire new dream you never thought possible.

Life is here to be lived, folks. Yes some days it is two steps forward and one step back. Other days you will find it’s one step forward and two steps back. You will only be able to move forward if you get up when you fall. Do what you can with what you’ve got.

I’m Tim Gillette, the Rocker Life Coach. Are you living the life you always wanted, learning to love what you do and those you share life with? Are you ready to become the RockStar in your world? I can help you achieve that. Now is the time.