I'm gonna take a break from my series on engagement, to express my gratitude.
I'm officially a week into my new apartment in Miami, getting settled into a new city, and I have a ton to be grateful for. More than anything, though, is some amazing relationships with incredible people who mean the world to me. And, the truth is, outside of my family, the vast majority of these people are friends I made at work over the years.
When I get a bit evangelical (forgive the word choice) about work being a powerful vehicle for personal development, these people are invariably the reason.
They've been part of my story for 20+ years. Most of the biggest events of my life have included them, and my most cherished memories were made with them.
We've traveled the world. We've launched exciting projects. We've eaten amazing food. We've tried spectacular wine and incredible whiskey. We've grown. We've argued. We've learned. We've celebrated kids, moves, careers, homes and accomplishments. We've supported each other through job loss, divorce, death and family tragedies. We've recruited each other for new jobs. We've taken each other out for celebrations and consolations. We've played pranks on each other. We've held planes for each other. We've fueled each other's fun-bad habits, and helped break the truly bad habits.
These are the people that make the bad times more tolerable and the good times more special.
Some people find this circle of amazing humans through other channels in their lives. For me, it was almost all through work. I used to think that was a short-coming, but I've now come to realize it is just a function of work being a meaningful vehicle for me.
It isn't for everyone. I get that. But for me, it's been the gateway to almost everything phenomenal that has unfolded in my life -- either directly or indirectly, often through connecting me to incredible people who have challenged me, pushed me, made me better, been there for me when I needed support and made me laugh until I was crying.
So, during the season of gratitude, I want to extend mine. And encourage you to find the chance to do the same.
Happy holidays -- from a somewhat soggy, but delightfully warm Miami!
