{"id":1856,"date":"2026-10-12T10:58:02","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T10:58:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/?p=1856"},"modified":"2026-10-12T11:24:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T11:24:16","slug":"i-ran-into-myself-15-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/i-ran-into-myself-15-years-ago\/","title":{"rendered":"I RAN INTO MYSELF 15 YEARS AGO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I ran into a younger version of myself today.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was 31 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He had a wife at home. A one-year-old daughter. A handful of employees depending on him. And a brand-new business called Atlas Outdoor that he was absolutely convinced it was going to become something special.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, convinced might be a strong word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because beneath all that confidence was a young man who was absolutely terrified of failing.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not necessarily for himself. But for the people counting on him. His wife, Brandi. His little girl, Isabella. And those few employees who had trusted him enough to come along for the ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His dream? Build a million-dollar company with 10 to 15 employees. That was the mountain. That was the goal. And if he could somehow pull that off, he figured he’d have made it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I couldn’t help but smile looking at him. Because I knew something he didn’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He was about to embark on the greatest, most challenging, and occasionally most painful journey of his life. And he didn’t have a clue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ignorance on fire.<\/strong> That’s what I’ve always called it.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And looking back, I’m convinced a little ignorance might be one of the greatest gifts a business owner can have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because if that 31-year-old dude knew everything he was about to experience over the next 15 years, I’m not sure he would have had the courage to start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat down across from him. He looked tired. But there was a fire in his eyes I recognized immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“So,” he asked, “does this whole Atlas thing actually work out?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yeah, buddy. It works out.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He leaned forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Do we hit a million?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We do.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His face lit up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“How many employees?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“More than you think.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Like 20?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I laughed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Keep dreaming my brother.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a moment, I remembered what it felt like to be him. To have a dream so big it consumed nearly every waking thought. To feel the weight of responsibility before developing the wisdom to carry it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But I didn’t want to tell him how big Atlas would become.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to tell him what it would take to become the man capable of leading it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Listen,” I said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You’re going to spend the next several years thinking the answer to every problem is you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When something goes wrong, you’ll fix it. When somebody can’t figure something out, you’ll step in. When the company needs more hours, you’ll give it more hours.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Sounds about right,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I know. I was there.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But here’s the problem.You’re going to become really good at being needed. And eventually, that’s going to become one of your biggest obstacles.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He didn’t say anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“One day, you’ll realize that being the hardest-working person in your company doesn’t necessarily make you the best leader.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You’re going to have to trust people. Develop people. Let them make mistakes. And perhaps hardest of all, accept that somebody else might actually be better at certain things than you are.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yeah. That one’s going to take you a while.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then his expression changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Do we lose people?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I paused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yeah. We do.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Good people?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Some really good people.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Why?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Sometimes because they outgrow the company. Sometimes because the company outgrows them. Sometimes because you make the wrong decisions. And sometimes because people are just people.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You’re going to learn that leadership isn’t about getting people to do what you want. It’s about helping them become who they’re capable of becoming.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“And you’re going to get that wrong plenty of times. Trust me.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stared down at the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Does it get easier?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought about that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Not really. But YOU get better.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You learn that hard conversations don’t become easier by avoiding them. That accountability and compassion can exist in the same conversation. And that some of your greatest leadership lessons will come from your biggest mistakes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then he asked the question I knew was coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What about the money?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What about it?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Do we make enough? Can I take care of Brandi and Bella?”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

That one hit differently.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because I remembered that fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The weight of knowing my decisions weren’t just affecting me anymore. There were mouths to feed. Employees with families. And a dream that didn’t come with a guarantee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yes,” I told him. “You’re going to be able to provide for your family.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He exhaled with relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But I need you to hear something else.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Brandi and Bella need you to succeed. But not just at building Atlas.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They need you to succeed at being a husband. A dad. The man God created you to be.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That little girl at home?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“She’s going to be 16 before you know it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“No way.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Way.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“And you’re going to have a son, too.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His eyes widened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Really?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yeah. And he’s going to be pretty incredible.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat quietly for a moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Here’s the thing. There will always be another customer, another problem, another opportunity, and another reason to work those late hours.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But you don’t get to do childhood over again.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You don’t get a second chance at every bedtime, every soccer game, or every moment when your kids just want their dad.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Build the business. Absolutely. But don’t confuse providing for your family with being present for your family.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked down. I could tell that one landed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And truthfully?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s a reminder the 46-year-old version of me still needs to hear.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a moment, he asked another question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Do we ever actually make it?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That’s a funny question.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Why?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Because you’re going to spend a lot of years moving the finish line.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“First it’s a million dollars. Then another milestone. Another level of leadership. And every time you reach something you once dreamed about, you’ll find yourself looking toward the next mountain.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Sounds like me,” he said as he laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It is you.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But somewhere along the way, you’ll realize something.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What’s that?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The company you’re dreaming about building is going to require a version of you that doesn’t exist yet.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sat quietly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“And God is going to use every bit of this journey to develop that man.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The victories. The failures. The relationships. The disappointments.”
“The sleepless nights. The prayers. Even the seasons when you wonder whether you’re doing any of it right.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You’re going to think you’re building Atlas.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But in so many ways, God is going to be building you.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He looked at me for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“So we really do build something pretty special?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I smiled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Yeah, brother. We do.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But you want to know the best part?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“What’s that?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s not the revenue or the number of employees.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s watching people you once hired for entry-level positions become incredible leaders. Watching families build lives because of opportunities created by the company. Seeing people accomplish things they never thought possible.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“And realizing the greatest thing you ever built wasn’t something that needed you to keep running and growing.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It was something that could keep growing because you learned how to grow other people.”<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sat there for a moment. Then he asked one final question.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If you could go back and change anything, would you?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are mistakes I’d love to erase. Decisions I’d revisit. Conversations I’d handle differently. Moments with my family I’d love to experience again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And plenty of times I wish I’d been a better leader, husband, and father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But those experiences shaped the man sitting across from that 31-year-old young dude.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I wouldn’t change the journey,” I finally told him.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But I’d change how much of it I spent worrying about things that eventually worked themselves out.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’d spend less time trying to prove myself. More time listening. More time being present. And a whole lot more time trusting God with the
things I couldn’t control anyway.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stood up. I could tell he was ready to get back to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course he was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ignorance on fire doesn’t sit still very long.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before he walked away, I stopped him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Hey. One more thing.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He turned around.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Don’t lose that fire. You’re going to need it.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But as you grow, make sure the fire changes.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Right now, it’s burning because you’re afraid to fail.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Someday, I hope it burns because you realize how many people you have the opportunity to help succeed.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He smiled. And just like that, he was gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I sat there thinking about that young man.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The one who dreamed of a million-dollar company with a few employees.
The one who was scared to death of letting down his wife, daughter, and the handful of people who believed in him.
The one who didn’t understand half the things he’d eventually need to learn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he started anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I’m awfully glad he did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because 15 years later, I can tell you something with absolute certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The greatest accomplishment wasn’t building a business bigger than I ever imagined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was becoming someone I never could have imagined being when I started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the beautiful part?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God isn’t finished with me yet. Not even close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So here’s my question for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you could sit across from the version of yourself 15 years ago, what would you tell them?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Would you tell them to work harder? Chase bigger dreams? Worry less? Spend more time with the people they love?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or would you simply remind them that the person they’re becoming matters a whole lot more than the things they’re accomplishing?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because one day, the version of you that exists 15 years from now might wish they could sit down with you today.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And I wonder what they’d say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep growing. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep leading. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And don’t get so busy building your future that you miss the life God has given you today.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I ran into a younger version of myself today. He was 31 years old. He had a wife at home. A one-year-old daughter. A handful of employees depending on him. And a brand-new business called Atlas Outdoor that he was absolutely convinced it was going to become something special. Well, convinced might be a strong … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1856","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration","category-personal-growth"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1856"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1863,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1856\/revisions\/1863"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samgembel.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}