“Do you miss it?” Of course! “But you worked for THE HEAT!” Yes, and it was one of the greatest experiences thus far.
These questions often come up once I share my story with others. Fun times, and I love sharing this part of my life with them.
Most people associate leaving a job as a bad thing especially when it entails working in the sports & entertainment industry...and having LeBron James as one of your colleagues. [This in itself is a story for a different time].
I left because I felt a piece of my soul breaking through the shell I created and built during my tenure there. I craved expansion and a new experience and change. I wanted something different and unfamiliar, which was scary as hell, but I leapt and left anyways.
Sometimes it’s exhausting explaining this to someone who’s never taken a leap (leaving a job or place) in their lives, but most times I find myself inspiring and motivating those I speak to, to challenge themselves to do something different than they’ve had in the past. I don’t jump the gun and tell them to quit everything and just go, but it’s along that path [smile].
In Miami, nothing changes for the most part. The seasons consist of hot, really hot, rainy and hurricane season. You know what to expect.
Because of this consistency, it’s a black hole for people to be complacent. Granted, I’m not implying that people who live there don’t do and create wonderful things, but there’s a reason why people choose to retire in South Florida. “Permanent vacation mode” is the mindset and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. We all need breaks in our lives and Miami is a great place for that. [s/n: not to get into a complete rabbit hole of why Miami is amazing, but it is a fantastic city to experience at least once in your life and I recommend everyone to try it].
I spent close to 10 years living there, in a period of my life where I kind of thought I was an adult because I was “on my own.” This city raised me. I loved every minute of it. However, I only knew so much to get by – which turned out just fine – but I physically felt that I wasn’t growing. I wanted a new challenge.
You see, when you’re forced to adapt you are automatically put in a position where you have to make a choice. On a literal sense, where I’m from, I was used to having seasons. I was forced to prepare myself for winter by buying boots and a heavy coat. When it’s below 20 degrees consistently for a month on end, I had to make a choice. Do I get out of bed to go workout? or do I stay here because it’s comfortable. Most often, I caught myself staying in because who-the-hell-wants-to-work-out-at-6am-in-December.
In Miami, every day was beautiful. It was easy to just put on some shorts and a top, walk out the door and head to CrossFit, at 6am. It was 70 degrees! The discipline wasn’t really needed, or rather it wasn’t even tested.
Do you know how hard it is to talk yourself into getting out of bed during the winter when it’s negative 10 outside?! Discipline is a helluva habit. Living in Miami taught me how to create (and break) habits. Leaving Miami taught me how to let go and trust the process.
I loved and still love the city, but that doesn’t equate to me staying. Once I let go of the attachment to the physical aspect of this place and resisting the urge to leave, I took the leap and blossomed as a result.