EVERYONE HAS A STORY

It’s me, Josh Layhue.

On this site, I mostly write. I find time to do so between running my business, and running my other business, raising 4 kids with the help of my amazing wife, trying to convince my family to get rid of our cat and dog, playing and coaching hockey and sleeping. If you find my writing to be mostly short pieces, now you know why.

I write about faith, family, struggle, business, philanthropy, vision, health and just about anything else that pops into my mind. I love sharing ideas and starting conversations. I love meeting new people and making new connections. I love helping people and giving back to this amazing world. I love being optimistic and realistic. I love chasing dreams and helping others chase theirs. Which leads me to my real story: 

“You Always Have a Choice”

I read these words in April 2014. I was near the pinnacle of an internal struggle that started several years earlier.

Much of my life I’ve been “the smart kid.” For some that may sound appealing, but I hate those words (maybe that’s the reason “Good Will Hunting” is my favorite movie). Smart is empty. Smart is boring. Smart is shallow. But nonetheless, I embraced it.

I went to college a couple times and ended up with a resume that included several engineering degrees, jobs at NASA, Lockheed-Martin, General Electric and other Fortune 500 companies, lots of promotions, accolades, awards, recognitions and pats on the back. And none of them meant a damn thing to me. It’s not that I wasn’t grateful – I was. But it just wasn’t what I was working for. But what WAS I working for?

Money?

That was part of it. I mean, I still haven’t figured out how to live for free, so money is kind of a necessity. But it was never the goal. If you’re looking for a great approach to money, however, you should DEFINITELY check out these guys.

Recognition?

If I was working for recognition, those awards would have meant more and my diplomas wouldn’t be collecting dust in a box in my attic (at least I think that’s where they are).

Back to that quote. “You always have a choice.” That quote is from AJ Leon’s book, The Life and Times of a Remarkable Misfit. As I read through his beautiful work of art, essay after essay pounded away at the shell of comfort that I thought corporate life should bring. The shell was eroded with every word, every sentence, every page. And I quickly figured out that I had a problem. I, like AJ, had worked so hard to build a career that provided no fulfillment. I had essentially worked my ass off to get to a destination only to realize that I had been going the wrong direction the entire time.

I was left with a choice…

So my wife and I sat down and made a plan. An escape plan. A prison break of sorts. I was making my choice.

About a year later, on July 17th of 2015, I left my corporate engineering job. I stepped into the fresh air, took a deep breath and came to grips with my reality. I had no more excuses, no more direction, no more bosses or demands. I was free to be me.

And it was terrifying.

I’ve always said that it’s hard to chase your dreams while you’re building someone else’s. The truth is, it’s just hard to chase your dreams – period. But that’s what I’m doing and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.

You can follow along with my current projects if you’d like.

I hope you’ll join me along the journey. But more than anything, I hope you’re chasing your own dream.

Thanks again for stopping by!

Josh