This article is very personal to me because there have been times in my life when I had to sit down and think about what was really important to me. I came to a place that many people have come to called a crossroads. My crossroads were no more important than anyone else’s, but my decision seemed so hard to make. When I stopped to think about what really mattered, I was able to make rational decisions.

Before I continue, I will say that people come to a crossroads at different stages of life, so we cannot judge someone because they do not make decisions as fast or as slow as we do. The best we can do is be patient with others and give them time to make their own decisions. We must also understand that if a person makes a mistake it is something he has to live with, not you.

Personally I will tell you that my crossroads came at a very important moment in my life and when it came I did not know what was happening. All I knew was that I felt like I wasn’t doing enough and getting nowhere in life. Everyone around me told me “You’re ahead of the game” but I didn’t believe it because I didn’t see any results. I thought to myself “Why don’t I see what they see?

I joined the military to go to college and get work experience so I can get out after 4 years and work what we call a regular job. I had another career that I was really passionate about in the entertainment industry, so I had to find a way to make it all work. I realized after serving in the military for 3 years that I hadn’t really accomplished much in school or in my entertainment career and that I was at a crossroads.

I asked for my college transcripts and noted that I had taken 4 classes, but they were not classes that could be used towards my degree. I looked at my entertainment career resume and noticed that I wasn’t doing shows that were really beneficial to my career. I was going in circles, which made me very tired and frustrated.

One day I was sitting on the couch in my apartment and I started talking to myself about the things I was doing and I asked myself the question “Does what I am doing make sense?”, “Why do I feel like I am working so hard? and I get nowhere?”, “Am I supposed to do all this or am I kidding myself?”

After 20 minutes had passed, I said to myself, “You have to find a way to make this work.” So I prayed and asked God to show me how I could make it all work with school, a military career, and a career in entertainment. A week later, my educational advisor called me at work and said, “We’d like you to come in and talk to us about your curriculum.”

I went to the office and started looking at what classes I needed to take and what classes I could CLEP which is a test you take to avoid taking the actual class but you get 3-6 credits by taking the test. I started by getting the necessary study guides to prepare to take the exam and went from there.

When I decided to spend more time in school, I realized that my entertainment career had to become secondary. The military is not something to be taken lightly and I took things like free education, free uniforms, my paycheck for granted and I didn’t have to worry about the little things that a lot of people had to worry about, so I I made it a point to give my military career 110% of my effort and time.

While doing this evaluation, I realized that most artists work on weekends and don’t have to spend a lot of time during the week. So I stopped calling during the week to work in clubs and bars and let people start calling me because I had already worked in all the local establishments. What made the most sense was to go and finish school because education is very important.

Moving to Hollywood was no longer an option. Most artists spend their lives trying to make millions of dollars and some never reach that goal. My plan was to retire from the military after 20 years of service, which would make me 38 years old. After 20 years my entertainment career should have grown and I can now depend on that as well as a retirement check from the army.

So now that I have told you my story about my crossroads, I pray that you will look at your life and discover what is the most important thing in your life. The decision is yours and you have much more power of choice than you think. I am proud of my decision and I hope that after you do your self-assessment and make the best decision possible for you. My prayer is that you are happy with your decision as I am happy with mine.