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Our stories are powerful and there's so much to discover in each one. When working with me, you would probably hear me say that everything is optional. It's a phrase I picked up from a photography group I was in. The same was true when I started recording at dinner with a friend. Hi, I'm Becky Fraser, an award-winning coach, author and entrepreneur. Welcome to Short Story Long Today is a novella.

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These episodes share the journeys between the inflection points. They still have growth, a little drama and insights, just in a smaller package. This time it's someone else's story. It's someone else's story. A conversation with my good friend turned into an impromptu podcast interview. We started talking about the inflection points in life and he said hey, have I ever told you how I ended up an entrepreneur the first time? Naturally, I said do you mind if I record and maybe share your story on my podcast? I'm sharing Jason's story with his permission and not his real name. The story comes with twists and turns and actually starts when he was in his 20s.

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Jason left college before graduating and started a career in advertising. He quickly rose to manage a $4 million international account. That said, professional success came with a challenging side. He realized he was facing burnout and found himself doing some very heavy drinking. He knew that he needed to regain control of the amount that he was drinking. Still, one night out, jason was drinking with his colleagues. Later he came to with his car smashed into a tree without any memory of getting there. As the police arrived, he was arrested for DUI. In addition to the legal ramifications, he recognized this as an absolute wake-up call. He reassessed his life choices, which led to deep personal reflection and a commitment to change. After the DUI, jason took control of his life. He returned to college, while holding a full-time job. His dedication to improvement led to award-winning design work and sobriety.

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With a strong portfolio and a desire for a fresh start, jason moved out of state. Unfortunately, the timing was not great. An economic collapse made it impossible to find work, leading him to return home. With no work available at home either, he found his adult self living with his parents. That was a humbling time for him. A friend offered him a teaching position, which Jason initially accepted out of necessity. This teaching role, though, allowed him to grow as both a designer and also to learn to be an educator.

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With the broader skills from teaching and no offers in sight, jason's career took an entrepreneurial turn. When he started his own design company, he hadn't planned to become a business owner. His network and circumstances guided him there. It wasn't an easy road. Over the years, he has accepted positions in agencies, only to return to being an entrepreneur. While agency life offered camaraderie, the stress led to personal unhappiness, pushing him back to working for himself. Today, jason has multiple entrepreneurial irons in the fire. While he recognizes the value of financial security and camaraderie in the agency environment, he has now prioritized his well-being. Maybe it's not an easy path, but it's certainly the one he's on now.

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What stands out in Jason's story to you? Maybe it's the importance of accountability. For me, I see the value of him taking responsibility for his actions, especially when they might have negatively affected others. The sense of accountability was a driving force for him in turning his life around after the DUI. Maybe you see his resilience in the face of setbacks. Jason's story highlights the importance of resilience as he consistently found ways to move forward and grow from these experiences. He opened himself up to unexpected opportunities, like becoming an educator or entrepreneur, when the original vision was far different from that. Those choices were pivotal for his professional and his personal development.

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Another key point in Jason's story is his self-awareness and adaptability. Over time, he learned the importance of structuring his life in a way that supported his goals. His adaptability has been key to his success. His goals His adaptability has been key to his success. When I'm talking with my clients, I try to reinforce for them that just because something didn't go the way you planned doesn't mean that it failed. Sometimes we're just learning as we go along, and so that idea of being able to see yourself in a different way is really just you demonstrating a commitment to your lifelong learning. For Jason, whether through teaching, working with clients or personal reflection, he continued to seek new knowledge and skills, and that contributes to even more different experiences.

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Why share this story? One key thing for me is how personal choices have such an impact on our professional life as well. We are not one person at work and another person outside that environment. If we are acting too differently, that misalignment creates destructive stressors. Jason didn't become an entrepreneur as a conscious choice. In fact, it took him a bit of time to recognize and respond to the pattern of agency versus entrepreneurship. For me, life has had an impact on my choices too, but, as you might expect, that's another story. Thank you for listening to this story. My hope is that you will get insights for leading as you. If you know someone who would benefit from this episode, be sure to share it. Interested in connecting with me on LinkedIn? Drop me a note telling me where you found me. The link will be in the show notes. Okay, bye.