Next Steps

You guys rock. That's the first thing I want to say. After my last post about leaving my current job in a step of faith I have received nothing but encouragement. So now that I have a clear plan of what I'm going to be doing next on my professional journey I thought the least I could do would be to fill you in.

Stable Environment

I will be taking two weeks off after my last day at my current job to catch up on some freelance work as well as spend some time resting with my wife. But starting June 01 I will become the 4th member on the UX team at Fellowship Technologies. After much prayer and consideration I see this opportunity as the right move for me and my family right now. But that's not to say I didn't struggle with feeling like I was selling out to "the man" or anything. The notion of freelancing full-time still intrigues me and is something I want to pursue someday, but right now we need something stable while my wife finishes her degree.

The UX Team that has already been assembled at Fellowship is something I am looking forward to. For the past 2 1/2 years I have been a lone ranger figuring things out for myself. Not to say that it hasn't had its perks, but one can only go so far on his own. So this transition into a team environment is something I'm really looking forward to. Plus, I will be working with people my own age that I will actually have something in common with. My fellow team members include: Matt Vasquez, Nathan Smith and David Brooks.

Walk by Faith not by Sight

I am continually blown away by the grace and favor that God has given me. By continuing to seek His will, I made a decision of faith last week without any secure plans ahead of me to quit my job. I knew that a position with Fellowship was in the cards, but they still hadn't given me a firm decision. So my plan was to work freelance full-time. To which I received an immense amount of support and encouragement in. But in following my heart I found something better than I expected. Sorry, I don't mean to keep repeating myself here, but I just hope to encourage you to stop being afraid, trust God, and let go of all that's holding you back. I don't mean quit today, not by any means, but start praying and see where God might lead you. I know I've waited for over a year now before making this move.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

Last but not least

I still plan to do side work, but more than likely I will be very picky about what projects I work on. (If you have already contacted me about freelance work or would like to you can email me at: hello[at]kylesteed[dot]com.) I think that's one of the greatest advantages to working full-time, you can pick and choose very carefully about what other projects you want to work on. Also, I have no immediate plans of returning to school. This last semester really proved to me that school is a waste of time. Being in my current situation I can see how school is only slowing me down from what I really want to be doing, and what I'm already doing. It's sad to me that we put so much pressure on kids to go to college and get a degree. I don't want to go off on a huge tangent, I will write a post on this topic, but I know people who have their degrees and either (A) aren't using them or (B) still don't have a job.

I know this much. I am blessed to have a vision for my life, a wife that supports me and the skills that pay that bills. Or something like that. ;)

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." - James 1:17

A Time To Shine

After 2 1/2 years at my employer I am taking a step of faith out on my own. Yep, in just 2 weeks I will no longer be working in a cubicle. This definitely hasn't been an easy decision to come to, but I feel like this is where God is calling me. I have spent an enormous amount of time praying and patiently waiting for the right time. Am I nervous? I don't think I would be human if I wasn't. Am I scared? No. God has always provided for me and my family and I trust that He will continue to do so.

So What's Next?

Right now I have a month's worth of freelance ahead of me, and after that I'm not sure. I do have a couple of leads right now with some other companies but nothing set in stone. I hold fast to what Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-27,34 -

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Community

Of course I wouldn't be where I am today without the great community I'm connected to. You know who you are. And a few of you I've already reached out to asking if you have any upcoming design work. I feel like this is a big part of not only my future, but all of ours. As one has a need another can help out. Sometimes that will be in the form of a job and sometimes not. I'm not interested in meeting people just to have a connection, but to build a relationship. And I don't expect anyone to give me hand-outs, please hear me on this. When I say community, I'm talking about a group of people who have the same vision, goals and aspirations as their peers and can depend on each other.

How You Can Help

You can pray. If you don't pray you can start. ;) Just kidding. But seriously, I would love your prayers. Thank you.

on death and dying

Death is our last act here on earth, dying on the other hand is something we must do daily.

"For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered." - Romans 8:36 referencing Psalm 44:22

The physical act of dying is something that scares us and yet is totally unpredictable. I remember as a child being fascinated with death and asking my mom a lot what would happen after I died. Death is just a natural part of life. We come and go, and what we leave behind us are mostly memories.

The spiritual act of dying is a constant battle. The victory is already won, Jesus Christ has paid the price and defeated death. But while we're still alive on this earth we are constantly waging war against ourselves. The devil really doesn't have to do much because he has no real power over us who have been saved. But the parts of ourselves that need to be worked out by "fear and trembling" are what's holding us back from living in the full revelation as sons of God.

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." - Philippians 2:12-13

What should we fear? Homelessness? Starvation? Nakedness? Hasn't God already told us not to worry about those things?

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" - Matthew 6:25-27

So why am I still so damn concerned with my own well being? I still can't figure out if it's my genetics or the way God made me, but I seem to think that my life is a constant struggle. There are those moments of peace, but everything in between seems to be an uphill battle. My wife does a good job of helping me realize that we have it pretty good compared to other people in this world, and for that I'm thankful. But it still doesn't completely put to rest the uneasy burden I carry with me.

My pastor and I met for breakfast a few weeks ago and he shared with me something that he prayed for that he had never prayed before. He asked The Lord to receive his "flesh" upon the alter. (I know that sounds kind of odd, but I think it's completely necessary.) Our flesh is what we are constantly doing battle with. The old way of doing things. It's why I believe Paul told us to put on the full armor of God. By reading the word of God and praying and being baptized in the Holy Spirit, it's the only way I'll ever feel secure. The more that I choose to follow Christ the more my flesh will wither away.

centered

Keep focused. Stay the course. If you have a feeling that what you're doing is right then don't look back. If you fail at it then great, you can always start again. There's never been one right way to do something. But now, more than ever, we are bombarded with choices. And I'm not even talking about the complicated ones, like will you marry me or buying a car, no I'm talking about the day-to-day choices we face. And herein lies the key to staying centered, are you ready for it, it's patience. Don't be moved by emotion or by trends, be moved by the Spirit of God. I heard it said today that God is always moving, but He's never in a hurry. That really speaks to me. I hope it does to you too.

Enjoy Your Work

We all have those days when we're not 100% - that was today for me. But what really counts in this life are the relationships we have and those who can lend an ear and an encouraging word. After an uplifting conversation I had with my friend Daniel (really more like a brother) I opened up the Bible to Ecclesiastes. I ran across an old verse I had underlined that really inspired me:

"So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?" - Ecclesiastes 3:22

Regardless of whether you are unhappy at your job, in between jobs, or out of a job, we should all enjoy the work which we can get/have, no matter how small or big the task.

In Response to Zeldman

Yesterday I read this article, "Dirty Little Secret of Success", by Jeffrey Zeldman. It struck a nerve in me right away because it deals with the human condition and how that relates to being successful. But in my opinion Mr. Zeldman, with all do respect, you got it backwards.

I believe those with a fulfilled heart and a great sense of purpose can achieve more than those who are "broken" and seeking the approval of others. But then again I guess it all depends on how you define success. If it's in dollars and cents then I think you're missing the point. For me success is how much I love my family, the work I do and the God I serve. There are no standards except to do my best and give it my all.

Let me hear you

What do you think? How do you define success? Would you say we're all still broken people or a people with hope?

Redesigning Myself Part 3

So far we've looked at the events in my life and the creative process it took to lead to my new design. The other area I want to cover is how my faith has played a part in this whole ordeal. But I don't think it will be as easy to convey as my design process was, it's a bit difficult to make a wireframe of my faith. But nonetheless, I will fill you in with what God has been showing me.

Maturity and the Joy of Suffering

We learn by those things we suffer. Whether that be in life, design or faith.

"...though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered." Hebrews 5:8

In my relationship with God, the times I suffer are always the most rewarding. It doesn't always feel good to me at the time, but looking back on the hardships and bumps in the road I can see how I was being perfected.

In the same way that I suffer in my faith, I can relate that to design. Working with a difficult client, or on a stressful project, is a great way to exercise my faith. When things are going good it's really easy to forget the grace of God. But when times are tough and we struggle just for an ounce of inspiration, we are quick to remember the one who brings us peace.

During this redesign process I became completely overwhelmed and frustrated with the direction I was headed. No amount of outside inspiration could help, in fact it was hurting worse. That's when I had to take a break and rest from it all. I spent a week in Florida with no computer and no focus on design at all. It allowed my mind to clear and prepare a path for new ideas. When I got back home I felt refreshed and more at peace with not having to get my design done right away.

Growing Up is Hard To Do

"... though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again..." Hebrews 5:12

Living a life of "what ifs" is a fantasy. Running from responsibility to fulfill our own desires is foolish. But thankfully, Jesus came to fulfill the law and set us free from having to be perfect. This is where His Grace comes in. So as I learn to grow up and face responsibility I am free to make mistakes along the way. And most assuredly I will. But it doesn't excuse my mistakes. No, rather it offers me the chance to get back on my feet, dust myself off, and try again.

We can use those little victories in our lives to pull strength from in time of need. When I feel defeated I like to remember all I had to overcome in the military. I didn't go to war physically, but there was a great spiritual war going on.

Our faith should be one of utmost dependence on our Heavenly Father.

So when I design something the process usually involves a lot of changes. Sometimes I get started on the right track the first time, but more often I end up having to go back and refine my original idea. The arrogance that I could get it right the first time is how I operated when I first started out designing. But over time I have been humbled enough to know that even though I may start on the right track, there is still room for improvement.

Bringing It All Together

The design process is an integral part of my maturity just as my life is an integral part of my faith. They are all interwoven together to form the fabric of what makes me, me. For example, I can't live my life without being a Christian, just as I can't live my life without creating something. That's as simple as I can put it.

I hoped this series helped give you a greater insight to the choices I made for my new design. If you haven't already, please go back and read Part 1 and Part 2.

Thanks again to everyone who continues to support me and show their love by leaving comments and re-tweeting. You rock.