Every Experience Leads to the Next
“Life is a series of experiences, each one of makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this.” -Henry Ford.
I believe every experience we have leads us to our next.
If I had never gone on a backpacking trip with my buddies after graduating high school, my entire life trajectory could have been different.
What do I mean by that?
Storytime
Growing up in Humboldt County, CA, I grew a deep appreciation for nature. But my family and I weren’t big campers; we certainly weren’t backpackers.
Going on my first backpacking trip with my buddies was one of my life’s most uncomfortable and challenging experiences. It was a grueling hike to where we were camping, and I was sleeping outside, longing for my comfy bed at home.
The backpacking trip grew on me as time passed, and I absolutely loved it. As an incoming freshman, it gave me the confidence to sign up for a backpacking trip with the Holden Center at the University of Oregon.
The Holden Center is a Leadership & Community Engagement Center. After the W.I.L.D. (Wildnerness Institute for Leadership Development) I was hooked on leadership. I got involved with a Duck Corps program, where I volunteered at the Boys & Girls Club of Emerald Valley (B.G.C.E.V.).
Volunteering at B.G.C.E.V. was the A.H.A. moment. I knew one of my callings on this earth was to be a positive role model for kids. So, I applied to work at the local Boys & Girls in Humboldt when I was back for the summer.
Working a summer with kids led me to apply to work at B.G.C.E.V. when I returned to school. At B.G.C.E.V., I got the opportunity to start coaching basketball for the first time in my life.
It was the hook; I was like, wow, this is pretty fun! This led me to coach at Kidsports for two years & at the time, I had no idea coaching youth sports would be my life.
After graduating from the pandemic, I had a job interview for Vitality Bowls in Eugene. But, it was canceled because of the wildfires. I NEEDED a job, so where did I go? You guessed it! B.G.C.E.V.!
It was an incredibly challenging year working with first graders who were going through it with zoom education.
But I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything because it helped me tremendously once I moved to L.A. and began coaching at Royal.
After almost a year of coaching at Royal, I also coach the Frosh-Soph team at Venice H.S.
It’s incredible where every experience of life leads you.
After 5+ years of working with you, I feel a calling to keep impacting the next generation through sport.
I didn’t even touch on my entrepreneurship/creator journey. But, long story short, I am in the process of building Bridging Impact into a youth sports training program.
Every experience will lead you to the next.
Questions to Ask Yourself
- How can you maximize and get the most out of your current experience of life?
- What mentors or people can you reach out to for help in your journey?
- What questions could you start asking yourself to get to know where you want to go next?
Connect with me if you want to share other thoughts about how each experience leads to the next.
