To listen to the podcast version of this episode - click here —> My Rough Draft Podcast
As an Atlanta native, I’m always amazed at how crowded the city is. Yet, so many people move here, and somehow there’s still room.
Looking out at the skyline each morning, just when I think there’s no more room for another building, the next skyscraper is being put up. A mixed construction space is coming next year with new housing, new businesses, new restaurants, and new experiences in between. When I look at the skyline, I recognize some buildings from childhood that bring back memories. I remember being in awe of the Sundial Restaurant on the rooftop of the Westin Peachtree Plaza – basically a fancy restaurant that slowly spins you around to see the skyline of Atlanta and beyond as you eat. Yet, there are other buildings in the city that I’ve never seen – seems like they were built overnight. In what seems like an overly crowded space, there’s always room for more construction and development.
People are still moving to the city in droves, and instead of halting the incoming crowds, new developments expand into new territories - the suburbs, the southside, and the country. When traffic seems unbearable for the majority of the day, we always seem to eventually arrive at our destination even if we’re set back an hour (or two). The only time you don’t reach your destination is when tragically your time on this Earth is up.
Within Atlanta, Highway I-285 circles its perimeter. It’s literally one big circle. There are several exits and several opportunities to go north, south, east, and west. Just when you feel like you’re not getting anywhere, there’s an exit to go endless miles away towards a new destination, another state, or another suburb. Atlanta is a place of endless opportunity even when it feels like we’re all closed in.
Likewise, in life, we often think we’re going around in circles. Like the treadmill I’m currently walking on while writing this, it can feel like we’re going through our days with our desired destination nowhere in sight. We see people we look up to and friends we do life with achieving their dreams, expanding their families, changing careers, and getting crazy opportunities. And, while we’re inspired by their blessings, we feel closed in with our own dreams and desires. With those in our spaces moving up, it seems as if there’s no more room for us to press start again. So, we stay on the cycle. We stay on the treadmill. We stay on I-285, hitting droves of traffic and delays every time we turn around because we’re too afraid to take the exit and create our own path.
But, just as new developments pop up in my city where there seems to be no room, there’s always a space for you. Just like the circles of I-285 seem to have no destination, there’s always an opportunity to get off on an exit and go forward with endless opportunities. Even though you may feel delayed when seeing so many people on the highway of greatness, know that there’s still a space for you to reach your destination in your lane. You’ve feared that you’ve missed your moment, your exit. But, there’s always the chance to turn around and get back on the right path. If you’re still living and breathing, then your space is still available even when it feels like it’s already been done.
So take your exit, and go forward. Prepare to break ground on your next idea. Get back on the highway of your industry even though it feels too crowded. Because even in the crowds, there’s only one of you.
Great read!! So proud of you!! “What God has for you, it is for you.”