I was on a flight home in March 2023. I had my earbuds in, was cycling through Sirius XM’s 80’s-on-8 channel when a long-lost song came on: “Yes, I’m Ready” by Teri DeSario and KC of KC and The Sunshine Band.

Because I have a freakish memory of time, place and situation, instantly I remembered March of 1980. I was 12 years old and worked up the courage to slow-skate with a girl at a roller rink in Northeast Philly (USA…United Skates of America…pictured here). That skate was one of those awkward, adolescent moments where music, lighting, and courage combined to ask someone to skate felt like the biggest deal in the world. That memory would’ve been enough. But then another surfaced. Something that happened later in that same place.

Exactly 11 years later (no kidding) in March of 1991, I was back at the same building. Only this time, it was no longer a roller rink. It had become a sports-themed nightclub called Tailgaters with an elevated boxing ring dance floor. I invited a young lady I’d gotten to know at work to join me and some friends for Happy Hour. During that night out after work, I worked up the courage to slow-dance with that young lady for the first time. We’ve been together ever since.

This story and memory is a reminder that life has a funny way of bringing things full circle. Buildings, people, situations can take on different meaning over time. The places we start don’t always lead to who we become but sometimes can hold clues to who we’re becoming.

In 1980 when I was 12, I had no concept of what I’d do for a living. In 1991 at 23, I was just starting to figure it out. Today, I can see how every step, every job, every risk, every moment that seemed small was part of a larger pattern. Not always clear in real time, but unmistakable in hindsight. The lesson (or lessons)?

• Don’t take for granted, forget or underestimate where you came from. Never assume where you are now is where you’ll always be.
• Always bet on yourself. Overcome fear or worry of hearing “no” and keep pushing for what you want. It’s up to you to be your own best advocate and pursue what you want in life and career.
• Catalog pivotal moments in your life. There will be a handful of consequential events that put you on a path of who you were meant to be. You may not recognize these things when they happen, but, when looking back, they’ll become apparent.

One more thing: don’t be surprised if a forgotten song or a familiar place makes you smile and reminds you just how far you’ve come since being a shy kid.