Luckily, a young boy with his mother across the street saw me fall, and he said to his mom,

"Geeze… That man just jumped from the billboard."

I was still conscious and looked up, and then I looked at my body and thought to myself: this can't be good.

After getting admitted into the ICU by Grace, the incredible doctors patched me up.

I needed to find the next step, next.

I continued to find the help I needed to persist through two solid years of rehab, reconstruction, and medical challenges.

I survived.

Ultimately, my company hired me back as the Safety Director because I knew what gravity was about.

I wrote fall protection programs and safety manuals and became an instructor in First Aid and CPR, defensive driving, and crane safety.

I then taught the individuals in the organization the skills needed for their job.

I soon ascended to another rung of the ladder.

I became IT Director, learning technology and project management to develop solutions and software for the corporate office.

So here I was, climbing the ladder again - this time, the corporate one. 

I made it up to the corporate office and became Director of Communications.

Big title, big budget, pressure, limited sleep, and antidepressants.

The life I had created for myself had a price, and it was slowly but surely killing me. 

By then, I had two boys and lived in paradise on 30 acres on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington.

We had a hobby farm with llamas, cows, horses, chickens, and pigs.

We were raising a family. We grew lavender, created a farmer's market, and lived the dream.

It looked beautiful from the outside. On the inside, I was miserable and exhausted mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

I spent more time commuting and traveling than with my family.

After fifteen years, I was launched from that ladder of "Mergers and Acquisitions." There was no little boy across the street to save me this time: no ICU, no nurse, no doctor to patch me up.

The company was sold, and the new management no longer needed my services.

From one day to the other, I waved goodbye and wished, "Have a nice day." 

I had given fifteen years of hard work to the company, yet that was no relief from the pain and anguish I felt.

The dream quickly shifted into a nightmare. 

Not only had I just lost my 15-year career - but soon after, my wife asked me for a divorce.

I felt my life was crumbling before my eyes. I lost the farm and judged myself harshly. 

I'd work hard for a life that was an illusion. The life, 'I thought' I wanted. 

I lost my family, I lost my job, and I became homeless. I was suicidal and, for moments, ready to check out.

And then something snapped. I realized I had no one else to be responsible for but myself.

What is the Next Step? Next

It was a moment of awakening, realizing my strength and resilience.

I had to turn inward. I worked on my health, "self-care," they call it today. 

I made the decision that I needed to figure things out for myself.

I took some time off. (I checked out)

I committed to the boys and working on myself.

I knew the only way out was through.

With no place to go, no job, no home, and no options, I became one of the Invisible Homeless.

I was lost and needed to find some meaning to the chaos in my life.

I was determined to redefine my life and find a new purpose.

I started living a frugal life down to the necessities.

I started to camp out by couch surfing with friends and living in my car.

Everything I owned fit into three equipment bags: a tent, my mountain bike on the rack, and I began to enjoy the nomadic camping lifestyle.

I could get on the road and go camping for months.

I traveled to Mexico with my oldest son and a few friends and built a church.

I got baptized in the Pacific Ocean while building that church, hoping that whatever happened was meant to be.

I got back into music and biking.

Slowly, I worked my way out of the darkness and despair. 

I asked myself what I could accomplish now. 

I had no answers except for what was before me that day.

What's the next step, next

Despite all the uncertainty, I allowed myself to slow down and accept the present moment for the first time in my life. 

Despite not having answers, I started to trust the present moment and feel free.

During my travels, I did a lot of journaling to discover what I needed to do next.

It was a process of self-discovery, a journey to understand my true calling.

The idea of kindness is cool, and smiles are free unfolded before my eyes.

I was learning to be patient with myself, open to Grace and gratitude, and exercise kindness irrespective of external circumstances. 

All kinds of thoughts appear when you go down the road with nothing except the voices in your head.

But slowly, things got quiet inside my head.

I had multiple adventures, tragedies, and many sleepless nights wondering what I was here for.

What would I do next? What could I accomplish, and how could I help?

It became clear: I wanted to help more people, help more people.

After over a year of couch-surfing, camping, traveling, journaling, and having candid conversations with myself, helping people help people became my mission in life. 

I adopted a new sense of seeing for myself and those around me. 

I felt alive for the first time in a long time.

New opportunities were opening, and the stressful demands of life were shedding away.

I felt free of the expectations that I once had.

I begin to create something fresh and start something compelling to me.

I experienced the freedom of creating something meaningful to yourself while seeking to help more people, help more people.

Eventually, I got a job as an inside salesperson for technology.

I rented a small apartment near my work to avoid the commute.  

I couldn't imagine what life had planned for me when I first started falling from ladders. Eventually, it became clear. 

I became victorious in my own life, continuing to camp, sleeping in my car when I wanted, and taking adventures with my boys.

What's the next step? Nextstepnext.

Nextstepnext results from the motto I live by and share it with the world.

If you reach the end, I invite you to join the Nextstepnext movement.

I appreciate you!

Russ