It or Not It? by Todd Alan

At one point, I owned a model airplane field. People came there to fly their airplanes and had for many years before I bought it from the previous owner.

My dad flew on that field. My grandfather flew on that field. Families made memories there, so the place was very dear to me.

My father and I used to sit out there and dream of buying it. And one day, when I was grown up, the owner walked over and mentioned he was selling the field. That’s when I bought it!

I had a real vision for the place; it was going to have a racetrack and a paved runway. This was my thing – to grow the vision.

And for five years, my vision provided a place for old-time flyers to convene, fly their planes, and hang out with friends. I made space for families to connect and have fun. My dream had come true…

After a while, though, new housing development started to encroach on the field. The new residents complained of the noise. One resident, in particular, was quite upset about it, and he spent tons of money taking me to court.

Though he lost every time, this man had the money to keep going, and I was losing the steam to keep defending myself. The airplane field, the place I was so passionate about, was being restricted. It wasn’t the same.

One day I asked myself – is this it or not it?

Meaning, is this my purpose? Is this the path I’m supposed to keep traveling? The answer?…..

No.

My “inner-knower” not only answered “no” but also told me to sell it. Remember, this was my DREAM, my purpose. I was heart sick to sell it. But I knew it was the right thing to do.

Sell it, the voice said. And sell it to the man who has been taking you to court because he’ll buy it. I called my real estate agent and told him to get in touch with my nemesis, who purchased the property for twice the market value, cash.

My focus went back into my machine shop, which started to make money again. Shortly after I sold, I joined ToastMasters and because of ToastMasters, I got involved in radio.

The experience of losing the field was a huge lesson in detachment and getting honest about my purpose. Opportunities, people, paths, can come into our lives for a reason, for a specific purpose, but things do change and we have to switch gears.

When we ask: is this it or not it? We will have our answers.