Thankful Thoughts

Josh Nielsen

Thankful Thoughts

As Thanksgiving of 2020 winds down, I reflect on all that I am thankful for. I am sure everybody else does this on this day. Maybe people are thankful for new work promotions, newfound love, their health, or simply all the little things that help life seem not so bad and brings joy to their world. Is one day a year really enough to show gratitude though?

Like everyone else, I have had my ups and downs in life. It is the nature of life I suppose. I am thirty-two years old and at this point of my life I thought that I had it all figured out a few years back. It all started with that question that you get in middle school, you know, what do you want to be when you grow up? I never knew the answer to that question. I mean I had ideas and a lot of things that I wanted to do, but I was always told that I was a dreamer and that I should be more realistic.

Shortly after graduating high school, I went to a small college in Connecticut for business. I was only able to complete one semester there, as I realized that I just could not afford their tuition and the living situation. I remember my guidance counselor in high school mentioning that “maybe I should try a community college?” I refused. In a sense, I felt that it was a downgrade for me, and I vowed to never go that route. My father had served in the Coast Guard for 8 years and had some amazing stories and accomplishments, so I came home and worked some retail jobs and a short year later, I joined the United States Coast Guard. Being in the military was the best thing for me. One of the hardest things that I accomplished in my life was graduating boot camp. To say it was tough is an understatement. By design it is meant to weed out the weak people. Not to offend anyone, but it is the military and there is a certain level of standards that they must uphold for one of the greatest military forces in the world. I thought I was mentally and physically tough to do it. Well they broke me down mentally, physically, and emotionally. I almost did not graduate boot camp. I pulled everything that I had inside of me for the last two weeks to make it to the enlisted ranks and graduate. After graduating boot camp, I was stationed in Portsmouth, Virginia on a buoy tender. Most people are unfamiliar of what that is. It is one of the toughest jobs physically to do in the coast guard due to the nature of the job- Specifically that it is a very physically demanding job. All the buoys in rivers, bays, and some by the ocean that guide any size ship back into the ports had to be serviced to ensure that they are working properly. This is a pivotal job, as these ships rely on these buoys to safely transport cargo, people, or simply their own boat back into port without damaging their ship, or a life and death situation. Although the job was tough, I enjoyed every minute of it. All the memories over the years, friendships gained, and most notably all the skills that I have attained. My goal was to do twenty or thirty years in the Coast Guard and then retire, then the Great Recession of 2008 came.

I was only able to complete four years in the Coast Guard due to the Great Recession. Since nobody wanted to get out of the military in the higher ranks due to financial insecurity, all the ranks had a standstill. I would have had to wait another four to six years to advance to the next paygrade, and I definitely did not want to wait that long, so I got out. When I got out I had no clue what I wanted to do. I had a love for mixed martial arts, so I joined a gym that was well known for what they do- That is competing at the highest levels of mixed martial arts. I had a few fights in mixed martial arts while I was in the Coast Guard, but I wanted to really train hard and the right way like a professional fighter, so I did just that. I knew that if I were to take my training seriously, I would have to have a job that would work around my schedule and not the other way around, which left me to retail types of jobs. From 2011 until 2016 I trained five to six days a week, three to four hours a day. I had three official fights, which were in Muay Thai, and Combat Jiu Jitsu. I even fought for the belt in my weight class for Combat Jiu Jitsu. It has been my goal to one day fight in the UFC. A goal that still stands, but I had realized along the way two things; I did not have a good income, and even if I made it to the UFC, what would be my career after fighting?

One of the great benefits to being in the military is that you can use the GI Bill, which can pay off your college tuition, so that you can earn a degree and not be in debt. I never really liked the idea of college for various reasons, nonetheless, I realized that I would need to go to college to be able to make a higher income. With the push of my ex-girlfriend, I made the choice to go back to school. When I decided to go back to school, I had a clear-cut vision of what I wanted to do. I was currently working at a hospital, so I was familiar with various jobs that they had and what I could do with enough time to earn an associate degree. I really liked the idea of a radiologic technologist, so I pursued a degree in that. What I did next was unthinkable for me. I applied to Nassau Community College. Having matured in the military a bit, as well as life experience, I found that a community college was not a bad choice and a good start for where I wanted to be. Like all “Freshman” in college, I had to take care of all my prerequisites. I did this for over a year, and worked hard to attain a 3.7 GPA. This program-Radiologic Technology was one of the hardest to get into at Nassau Community College, as they only accept thirty students out of six to seven hundred applicants. Fortunately, I was one of the thirty students chosen to pursue this degree. It seemed like things were starting to go well for me, then life hit me.

My stepmother’s cancer had reappeared, along with my dad having a heart attack. I am not the only one to have family that had life threatening issues, but to me, life seemed to knock me down and I could not get back up. I made the choice to withdraw from the Radiologic Technology program to be able to focus on my family a bit more. When I was in school, I spent most of my day, more than a normal job would take in my studies. I knew I did not have the time, nor the focus to be able to finish my degree, so I put that on hold. I wanted to be closer to home and I needed a job that would allow me to control my income more, so I got into inside and outside sales. I had some successes as a salesman, and failures, but I learned a lot from this as well. In a sense, I was growing into the person that I needed to become. While sales can be a lucrative career, it was not at the time lucrative enough for me to withstand, so I took my skills and knowledge and translated that into a newfound career path.

I decided to go back to school to finish my degree, but this time I wanted to have a degree in marketing. Marketing is a part of every business, and I enjoyed the principles and process of it. Thankfully, most of my credits that I earned on my path to the Radiologic Technology degree transferred over to a degree in marketing. The path was clear cut again, and so I began knowing the end in mind, as well as an end goal date. I only needed one year of college and then I can finally at thirty-two years old have a degree.

Going back to when I first started college, I met my best friend. Obviously, it did not start that way. While I was in college, I had a rough personality. I was a fighter and had a tough mentality from all of my life experience. My people skills were not so great, and I became hyper focused on my goal of graduating college. Needless to say this hyper focus made me withdraw socially a bit. While I was studying, I met someone who changed my life. I was introduced to a world that I never knew existed. Having the background that I did, as well as my desire to accomplish whatever I put my mind to, I was introduced to people who are extremely successful in all areas of life. This introduction turned into a chance to be a student in life and of success. I was taught how to have and create impactful relationships- romantically included, become a person of influence, teach others to be successful in their own lives, get my finances in order, and get on my own path to becoming wealthy. I saw the value in all of the successful people and ran with it. This led me to the love of my life, which I have been dating for almost three years and look forward to proposing, attaining skills that will lead me to where I truly want to be, as well the knowledge that is available for all to use, but so many people seldom do. I have more meaningful relationships, I make a difference in other people’s lives, and I can live life the way I choose, not according to what people say I should do, or how to live. While on my path to success, life hit me again, as it tends to do.

On February 15th, 2020, my stepmother died due to complications from cancer. In August 2020, my dad had a stroke before we moved to Florida. If this were to happen before I grew to the person that I am today, I do not think I could have persevered through it. Through the change of mindset and skills attained over the years, I knew that I had the skills to persevere. Of course this is not easy, and it is always going to be a battle, when life hits you. Everything is a choice, so with that, I choose to remain as positive as I could be, focus on my family, focus on my goals, and keep moving forward.

At the end of August, I earned my degree in Marketing and made the move to Florida with my girlfriend. Moving to Florida was a needed change to fulfill my purpose, which I found when I met my best friend- I guess you can say a mentor in my life. With all of my life experiences and knowledge attained, I learned that if I practiced gratitude daily for all that I have, life will open up the doors for more positive things to come. I know what you are thinking, easier said than done, which is true. I still struggle daily, but I am thankful daily and like to reflect on all that I have, so that I can have more in my life.

Everybody goes through tough times in life. One person’s experiences are not better or worse than the next person. They are all equally important, and to each person it is a big deal and should not become a match of who has it worse. If we can all come together to offer support, resources, and show gratitude for all that we have, maybe the world will start to become a better place to live. I am extremely grateful that my dad is alive and in my life. I am extremely grateful to have the most supportive and loving girlfriend that I ever had, and I look forward to marrying her. I am extremely grateful for my health, so that I can continue guiding to people to become more successful in their lives. As Kurt Vonnegut said, “enjoy the little things in life because one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.” I am grateful for the little things in my life. What are you grateful for?

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Thank you so much for your support and I look forward to changing the world through my writing.

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