A Little Secret About Appreciation
Would you like to enhance your experience of life?
Would you like to feel, taste, touch, love, cherish and appreciate more deeply?
I’m obsessed with making the most of every day I’m alive.
Rather than getting caught up in the desire to have more (this is easy to do), my goal is often to appreciate more of what I do have (this isn’t always easy to do).
One of my deepest fears in life is……
….taking the people, places and things in my world for granted. I fear getting to the end and saying to myself, “If I could go back in time, I wish I would have….”
I fear one day realizing that I failed to fully capture life’s magnificence, because I was somehow sleepwalking my way through it all.
As a speaker, I travel a lot. I can recall recently being on a plane, and just before takeoff, saying to myself, “If this plane goes down today, there’s so much I’ve yet to say, do, feel and experience.” This is terrifying. Immediately I’m prompted to send some love filled text message to my wife, so in case these were my last words, I said what I really felt. It’s interesting how viewing a potential loss inspires action today.
You’ve likely heard the maxim… “Absence makes the heart grow fonder.” Has this been true for you? For me, having spent 130 days on the road last year, it’s spot on.
When I leave my family, I can’t wait to get back. At times, being honest here, I’ve been home only for 30 minutes before I think, “I can’t wait to get back on the road!” HA! (But seriously, this happens.)
Parents… Have you noticed with your kids, that in the morning you kick them out the door for school excited about a day without them, yet you get a huge smile when they run to you from the bus or greet you at the door when you arrive home from work?
My wife at times will travel to Russia with our boys. In the past, they’ve left for up to 6 weeks. When they go, my first thought is, “Oh yeah, I’m fired up about some quiet focused time!” Then, only hours later, I’m craving the chaos once again.
When you’re SUPER hungry, do you appreciate your next meal more than normal?
When you’re SUPER tired, do you realllllllly appreciate your bed?
Where else does absence make your heart grow fonder?
So…. if what we’ve been exploring here is true, then what if we could learn to purposefully and intentionally REMOVE things from our lives, in just the right proportions, so we would appreciate them even more? Sometimes, the magic is in what we don’t get or don’t have.
Thoughts? Comment below!
Your fan and friend,
Jon
\o/
PS. Speaker, Trainers and Presenters… I’ve got something just for you. My buddy Jon Berghoff, of the Flourishing Leadership Institute, along with yours truly, will be hosting a free webinar on February 12th. On the call we will…
- The single most important place to start when planning any communication
- Three keys to structuring and organizing content, modeled throughout the greatest speeches in history
- Two secrets to creating permanent transformation through storytelling
- A preview of the upcoming Speaker Trainer Experience in San DiegoMarch 24th & 25th
