Twenty years ago today, I was released from prison. This is not something many people know about me and frankly, I have not told too many people what today means to me. I served time in Tallahassee, Florida - three and a half long years. Each day was the same grind. I lived for weekends when the drudgery of the week was less. My prison was the IBM Corporation where I was employed right out of college. I truly was a fish out of water and yes some days I felt like I was incarcerated. The times that I was jazzed at work were after we had been given opportunities to attend training programs or motivational speakers. Some of the motivational speakers and corporate speakers I heard at IBM, helped me decide that professional speaking is what I would do in my own life. I was also heavily influenced by a few books I read.

The summer before I started at IBM, I had spent living with my brother in Chico, California. As fate would have it, an old roommate of his had left a box of books in the spare bedroom of my brothers apartment. There were two books on the top of the stack that I read cover to cover - The Magic of Thinking Big by David Swartz and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Those two books started me on a journey toward goal setting and having a positive attitude. They are books I will always treasure. After I graduated from college, a professor at Florida Southern College where I received my undergraduate degree, gave me the book The Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandio. I didn’t start reading that book until I was in a very down place at work (almost getting fired can make most people a bit down). I credit that book as a life turning point. Those three books all contributed to my departure from IBM on this day in 1987. I remember my friends thinking I was crazy. My family didn’t understand. My co-workers thought I had lost it by leaving what Tom Peters called one of the best companies to work for in the world. Only my golden retriever dog seemed to understand. I remember taking her for a walk on decision day (the day I needed to tell management my career plans). I had applied for an educational leave of absence hoping to finish my masters degree at Florida State University. My plan was to take a year off IBM, finish a few remaining courses, while determining if I could make a go at it as an entrepreneur. I thought if it didn’t work out, I could go back to IBM in another position. The managers who reviewed my leave application did me the greatest favor ever by saying no to my plan (of course I didn’t know it at the time). I remember being in a big field with my dog as tears flowed down my face. I truly didn’t know what to do. I had just bought a house, a Jeep CJ7, and was on the verge of becoming president of a company that had no assets and no customers! As crazy as it sounds, I asked my dog (maybe it was God - I am a bit dyslexic) “What am I supposed to do?”. After our walk, I went home and stopped at the mailbox before going in my house. There in the box was my answer on the cover of Success magazine. The cover article was titled “IBM Renegades: Where are They Now?”. While I haven’t (yet) graced the cover of Success magazine, I do feel like a renegade sometimes. As I took the road less traveled. Independence can be bliss.

So tonight, I celebrate my 20th anniversary of leaving IBM and starting my own business. It’s been a journey with lots of twists and turns but worth the ride.

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It seems fitting today to introduce the latest project: The Worlds Biggest Blog Party. You are invited to party on. I hope you’ll join the fun.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies. He is founder of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com