On this Thanksgiving Day, while the rest of the family is watching football (I’m not a football watcher) I thought it might be a good time to reflect on some of the things that I’m thankful for.
I’m thankful for my family. They are not only all that a mom and wife could hope for, they all get along well. I am so incredibly grateful for that. Mike, Shivahn, and Ian, you are my lifeblood, lifeline and my ever so patient cheering squad and support.
I’m grateful for the relationship my mom and I have today.
I’m thankful for the mentors; some are friends, some colleagues, some former supervisors, who helped me to grow to who I am today. Some of the hardest truths and difficult lessons in my life brought me to where I am today. I still have a long way to go, and I’m grateful for where I am.
I’m thankful for the teachers who come to my seminars and workshops with a sincere desire to grow. I’m thankful for the teachers who don’t want to be there at 8:00 a.m. and by 3:00 are telling me they are so glad that they came. I’m thankful for the teachers who find typos in my books and are brave enough to tell me so that I know to fix them in the next edition. I’m grateful for the clients that push me to new heights with their requests for customization that force me to research new pedagogy.
I’m thankful for my friends who understand that I travel with work yet manage to remember me in the chance that I might be home and would like to visit.
I’m thankful that I have Wah Lum Kung Fu (and my kung fu family) to keep me limber and mentally challenged and for Dave Mulcahey who challenges me with kettle bells and core exercise to keep my aging body strong. I’m thankful for my health.
I’m thankful for sunshine, lilacs, cheesecake, Jeni’s Gelato (Columbus, OH), Kentucky Bourbon Chocolate Cherries (and the work that allows me to find such delicacies), hibiscus, butterfly bushes, belly laughs, my new Indian artist friend Salil Raina who not only amazes me with his work but writes things that make me belly laugh almost every day.
I’m thankful for the people and small joys that I know I’m forgetting while I write this and will most likely say, “Crap! I forgot….” when I’m done.
I’m grateful for my professional speaking colleagues who are willing to share insights, suggestions and rare moments to wine and dine when our schedules and locations line up.
I’m so thankful for the people who are willing to work with me to make a difference in my business and the world – Deb Baron, Dawn Sorli, Beth Graf, and my right hand man, Jeffery Sullivan my management consulting company.
I am thankful on this Thanksgiving Day.