“I would throw it all away if ‘IT ALL’ was getting in the way of my single most important non-negotiable...DAD!”
- Jared Yellin
When I was 20 years old I had this realization…
Eventually I’m going to be a dad…
This thought came to my mind because of my parents divorce when I was a child and my ultimate desire to do my future differently than my past.
As I thought about what it meant to be a dad, one word showed up…
FREEDOM!
WOW, this was the first time that the word freedom ever entered my mind so I decided to go with it…
What did this word mean to me?!
Time
Career
Financial
Geographical
Health
Spiritual
The words just kept on flowing and FREEDOM started to consume me…
How would I be able to achieve this outcome by the time I was a DAD?
The only path that seemed even remotely possible to reach this ultimate desire was ENTREPRENEURSHIP!
This is where my journey began and 16 years later, I am a dad of two rockstar kiddos (Taylee and Ryker) and I have the FREEDOM I envisioned when I was 20.
But there’s a part of the story I have not shared too often…
Because if you know me, when I make a declaration it’s set in stone.
It becomes my non-negotiable…
It becomes my PLAN A with no PLAN B…
It becomes my monomaniacal focus…
This commitment to my declaration is the reason I have been able to achieve what I have, but about a year ago…
I got confused…
I got distracted…
I got lost…
I am going to share a story with you, in service of you, because I have a feeling that either right now, in the near future, or in many years you will be faced with an opportunity, challenge, idea, mission, business, etc. that has the potential to re-prioritize your non-negotiables against your will.
My stint operating outside of what I deem most important was short, but I feel obligated to share so that either yours is shorter or non-existent and never reaches the point of losing what’s most important…
For The First Time Ever - My Non-Negotiable Of DAD Was Interfered With…
I started a company in November of 2019 with two other people and it became an extreme success very quickly.
The adrenaline it produced was real…
The challenge to deliver was impossible (which if you know me is a motivator)...
The opportunity to make a difference appeared unmatched…
I was literally non-stop for 6-months until I sold my equity.
Calls throughout the night…
Weekends with no boundaries…
Ideas consuming every thought…
But why?!?!
I definitely did not NEED to do this…
From a financial perspective - I’m all good!
From a significance perspective - I’m more than all good!
From an accomplishment perspective - I’m all set!
But I got caught up with the hoopla…
The hoopla of success…
The hoopla of notoriety…
The hoopla of challenge…
But in the process…
I VIOLATED MY NON-NEGOTIABLE!
And I knew from Day 1 this would be the case…
Why did I get caught up with this?
Why did I say YES when everything inside told me to say NO?
Why did I compromise on my single most important area of my life?
I have given a TON of thought to this since I left the company and sold my position…
I pride myself on walking my talk…
I use myself as an example of non-negotiable boundaries…
Being a DAD is all that matters…
And as I sit here and write this article - everything now makes sense.
We Are Tested In Life To See How Much We Truly Care…
BOOM!
This is what took place for me and it’s going to take place for you too…
When you declare your non-negotiables, the universe is required to see how much you truly care…
Have you set these boundaries in stone with zero ability to waver OR are you saying something outloud that you might not be living…?
This was my TEST and initially - I failed - but for the right reason.
For 6-months, I could not really look at myself in the mirror the way I usually do.
For 6-months, I felt like something was just off and missing.
For 6-months, I knew I was out of alignment and upside down.
And as a result - my non-negotiables are stronger today than ever before and they are officially impossible to influence.
I am unapologetically ME and I invite you to become unapologetically YOU!
I am certain that I will miss out on opportunities because of my non-negotiable of being a DAD…
I am certain that I will fall short of potential in particular areas because of my non-negotiable of being a DAD…
I am certain that some people will be turned off by me because of my non-negotiable of being a DAD…
And I am MORE THAN CERTAIN that I don’t care about the missed opportunities, falling short of potential, and the people I turn off…
Because my ultimate non-negotiable is this…
DAD FIRST...PERIOD!
My Nobel Peace Prize
I have never been someone that was motivated by fame, awards, public accomplishment, etc. but I have had my fair share of monumental wins thus far and I know with what I have been called to do with CILA Labs that the fame, awards, and public accomplishments will be extreme, but there’s only thing that truly matters to me…
A few months ago, I was having a conversation with my friend, partner, and lead investor at CILA Labs, Dr. Ben Lerner, and he sarcastically and not sarcastically said, “You are going to win a Nobel Peace Prize for this idea.”
My response was, “YES we will, but it won’t be me, it will be our Co-Founder.”
I bring this up because someone that looks like me would appear to be motivated by the fame and the accomplishments, but what you can’t see is my ultimate drive and the purpose of this article.
The prize I am gunning for and will win only has two people voting and those two people are Taylee and Ryker.
And I know that I am WINNING because of how important it is for me to show up in their lives as the man, leader, entrepreneur, and DAD that they deserve.
So, that’s what matters to ME and I am overjoyed that I had those 6-months to challenge my certainty because what it produced is a level of intensity around non-negotiables that has never been seen or felt before…
And Now It’s Your Turn
Maybe for you being a parent is NOT your non-negotiable, but something is and my hope and desire and challenge for you is to figure out what IT...IS!
And once you know, get ready for the universe to challenge this decision because declaring a non-negotiable is a big deal and it must be rooted in the deepest level of conviction.
And when you are challenged - which I know you will be - please use me and/or this article as a sounding board because the last thing I ever want to see happen to anyone is that their non-negotiable is compromised BECAUSE this is the single most severe way to live a COMPROMISED life which no one should experience.
NOW, it’s your turn…
What do you want to win your Nobel Peace Prize for?!
Here always - go get ’em!
Live with Intention,
