Appreciate what you've got

As I sit on the park bench overlooking Faulkner Park, watching my dog run around chasing dogs twice her size growling like she is a Great Dane or a dog more fearsome, I had a moment.

I travel continually. Parts of it I love; sitting on a plane for 24 hours is pure bliss, meeting new people is fascinating, catching up with old friends is special, working in different cultures is challenging but exciting, seeing new places is incredible and expanding my business is rewarding.

Then there is a part that sits dormant for most of the time, but occasionally raises its ugly face; saying goodbye to my dog is hard, lonely nights in hotel rooms is just plain sad, people cancelling meetings at the last minute when you have travelled hundreds of miles is aggravating, always having to be "on" is impossible, getting over jet lag over and over again is a killer and remembering the reason "why" sometimes is not as entrenched in your mindset as you would like it to be.

So, today as I sit on the park bench I looked at my life and it was a bit of a downer to be honest. No time for family and friends. No time for a partner. A very big hairy audacious goal lays in front of me, but "what if" I don't achieve it. Is it all worth it?

The short answer is YES. Of course it is all worth it.

How else do you get the type of high an entrepreneur gets every time they do a deal, sell a business or conquer the unconquerable? How else do you meet fascinating people from all over the globe that each bring something to the table. When else do you get entertained in so many different cultures that when finally you are invited to a dinner party back home, you are able to talk about the culture of the meal that is sitting in front of you with a story that takes you to a place that is incredible?

When else do you get to sit on a plane next to a world leader, only to get a one-on-one with them for 8 hours building a relationship that you never would have imagined possible?

How else would you be able to help people less fortunate then yourself and to employ people who wake up each day thrilled to come into your office and create campaigns that help small business grow?

In the moments where we forget, its important that we look back and remember what our mother's told us about being grateful for what we have, because if you are reading this blog, then you know life is pretty amazing. It is what you make of it and only YOU can make it incredible. We each have been given a gift of life and there is no obstacle too big for each of us to overcome. If a man can walk on the moon, or a person with no legs can climb a mountain, then who are we to complain?

Tomorrow:

1) I will talk to a stranger and ask them how their day is
2) Make someone smile
3) Experience something that I have never experienced before
4) Buy a gift for a person not expecting anything
5) Tell someone what they mean to me in an old fashion letter, posted in the mail with a real stamp
6) Eat something that I have never eaten before
7) Skip across a busy road
8) Dance on the bed of my hotel in LA
9) Laugh continuously because something is funny or for no reason at all
10) And believe that anything is possible: love, life, work.