Learnings From 2019 — (4): Remember Why You Started

February 13th this year, I made an instantaneous decision to step down as the Media team Lead for the Young Professionals Forum. This is the creative and technical think tank of a growing organization aiming to balance the professional and spiritual development of young adults.

That morning, I was on my way to work, and I had a retrospective thought on the recent issue the team was facing. A certain team member had called me the previous night, highlighting concerns on some of my recent decisions, stressing that together with some unknown others, they don’t think that I was steering the ship well. That call destabilized me, but I did sleep it off immediately.

That morning, I wrote a long and emotional message to the team, opening up on my decision to step down. Since the caller said those who felt I wasn’t doing well was in the majority, I decided to step down. Within minutes, messages and calls came in from my team members and they sounded shocked and surprised at my decision. I didn’t mention the “why” and most of them would for the first time read about the “why” here.

To Cut the long story short, they didn’t want me to leave, but I had made up my mind. Then my president called, unhappy that I didn’t carry him along before the announcement, told me why my resignation wasn’t accepted and ended the call with the line, “Bro Dan, Remember why you started”.

When the going gets tough, when challenges roll in (and it will), my friend, remember why you started. I was speechless after hearing that, and in summary, I came back to one of the best team I’ve ever worked with.

Are you’re tempted to stop living a righteous life? Remember why you started. That marriage/relationship is having challenges after about 4 years now? Remember why you started. You’re running a professional course and you keep failing a subject repeatedly over the years, and you now feel like quiting, Remember why you started.

This means that, you must start any course of life with the right reasons and conviction, so that when the tempest rise and thunder blows, and you feel like you’re falling, all you need to do is, Remember why you started.