2014 in Review: A Year of Monumental Life Experiences with Unfortunate Tragedy Mixed In

Happy New Year!

As 2015 begins, I wanted to take some time and reflect on a year that was filled with many experiences and a roller coaster of emotions. 2014 was a year where I had so many personal experiences and challenges arise and I couldn't be more grateful for all the support from friends and family I have had through all of this.

I want to go chronologically so I don't forget anything. I hope this inspires other insights as I go, but my goal is to reflect and remind myself about all the incredible things I've gone through in 2014.

January:
In the first month  of the year I left a company I'd been with for over four years, the Kansas City Chiefs. It was the right time for a change as a partner in Procurement Concepts, we really needed someone to start running the company full-time and this was my opportunity to do just that. I enjoyed my time with the Chiefs and without those four years, I wouldn't have received my MBA or gotten to know all the great people I did. This was a risk, but I knew I had to take it and things have gone very well.



March-May:
In March I began my campaign for Man of the Year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Kansas City. I was honored to be a candidate and a part of this wonderful fundraising campaign. The support I received was overwhelming and I ran my campaign in honor of my grandmothers, who were both cancer survivors. Defeating Cancer...One Stec at a Time was my motto for the campaign and t-shirts and social media helped me create awareness for the cause. Throughout the campaign, I heard from family and friends who were gracious with their donations and promotion of my campaign. As I recall the campaign and the incredible honor it was to be a candidate, I originally didn't know if I would win and even though I didn't, I felt like a winner just for helping contribute to the over $500,000 raised for the cause. It was an amazing accomplishment and something I will always remember as one of the most unique experiences of my life. Now I am on the committee for the Chicago Man & Woman of the Year campaign and I get to contribute more and tell my story to many different people.



April:
One of the scariest tragedies I've ever experienced happened in April of 2014. I've touched on this event in a past blog. To summarize: A man went onto the campus of the JCC in Overland Park (1 mile from my apartment) and opened fire on people in the parking lot before heading to a Jewish Retirement facility called Village Shalom to shoot another person. He was a former KKK leader and well-documented anti-Semite. Three people died, none of which were Jewish. The auditions for the KC SuperStar contest were going on and people from all over the Kansas City area were converging that day on the JCC to participate and this man decided he was going to ruin things. He failed to kill a Jewish person and instead of instilling fear in the community, the community rallied and showed their support by walking with each other during my BBYO kids Candlelight Vigil walk the Friday after the shootings. Thousands came from all over Kansas City and the kids did such an amazing job to put this together to honor the victims. This experience inspired my second novel, which is now finished in 1st draft version.

http://brandonsstec.blogspot.com/2014/04/love-wins-hate-loses-candle-light.html

June:
This year was also my final year as a BBYO advisor in Kansas City and my residency in Kansas City also ended in June, which made for a very busy birthday month. I spent four years as an advisor for Twos AZA, the second chapter in the history of BBYO and was blessed with an incredible group of teenagers whom I got to know well over the years and am glad I did. I encourage anyone to take some time to volunteer with a youth group and spend some time with a group of young future leaders. I still keep in touch with many of the teens and even though I ended up sacrificing more time than I originally thought I would, I wouldn't change a thing of the four years spent with Twos AZA. Being an advisor also allowed me the opportunity to become more involved in the Jewish community of Kansas City and found a community that accepted me and welcomed me and Jason (my brother) into their homes for the holidays. I couldn't thank the families of Twos AZA enough for making me and Jason feel so welcome and trusting us with their teens.


Also in June, I moved back to Chicago, ending a year and a half stretch of living with my little brother, Jason in Kansas City. This was the first time as adults we had ever lived together and I'm so glad we got to spend this time together. My brother and I have had our disagreements like any brothers, but we became much closer by living together for the time we did. I'm very glad to see my brother now successful in his career and happy with his life in Memphis.


The move to Chicago was not necessarily a fun time (I hate moving) as my apartment proved to have a smaller doorway and elevator than I anticipated, but once I was moved in, I was very happy with my decision to finally live in the city. One of the best parts of being back in Chicago is that I am now able to spend time with my family and long time friends and have taken advantage of being close to home to see my immediate family more often.



July:
The summer marked one year since I was diagnosed with IBS. Although this is not a debilitating condition, there are many times where it makes for a terrible day or night. I've worked on my diet and changed many habits to battle my condition, but am still a work in progress. Things have been better, but when you have a condition that can be ignited by stress and you run a company full-time, it usually is not a great mix. I've always been very open about my IBS and am always interested to hear from people on different ideas on how to live with it or stories about their own battles with stomach issues. Special thanks to all my friends who've put up with or supported me on these changes.





October:
Late October was the worst part of 2014. We suddenly lost my Bubby and I didn't get the chance to say goodbye. My Bubby and I were very close and since my Papa passed 20 or so years ago, she was the grandparent I knew the best and spent most of my time with. We talked often and I still have the instinct to call her and tell her a funny story (funny to me, but likely not funny to many others) and she would always listen to my stories and always cared about how I was doing. Her number one request to me was that I constantly focused on being happy. Whether it was my writing or my company, she would ask for updates. I only have one grandparent left and my Grandma Jeanne and I keep in touch, but my Bubby was very special in my life. Many friends reached out and those that grew up with me knew how close we were and expressed their condolences, which I really appreciated. This has caused me to focus even more on my health as in the same year we also found out my dad has diabetes. My diet and exercise schedule has become more structured and I feel better as I continue to improve my healthy living choices. My family is small on my mom's side, but we have bonded together for the first time in a very long time and I know my Bubby would be very happy at how we have regained relationships. She wanted that more than anything, so that is our ultimate gift to her.



November & December:
It's winter in Chicago...so it's cold!

There have been many other experiences mixed in with these major events, but I can't go through them all. I'd never finish if I did. I finish with this: I do not have a specific resolution for 2015, but I hope to make it a year of more accomplishments and growing relationships. It will be another year of personal growth as I continue to fine tune the craft of being a writer part-time and running a start-up on the verge of expansion every day. My goals are lofty as always, but thanks to many past experiences, I know I can accomplish them.

In the words of Joe Dirt, "Alls I got to do is keep bein' a good person. No matter what, good things'll come my way. Everything's gonna happen for me, just so long as I never have no in my heart".

Happy Holidays Everyone! Thank you for reading! Comments are welcome and appreciated!

Brandon S. Stec