Happy Mother’s Day – A personal reflection on living a life that matters

potter and studentAs I write this week’s post it is Mother’s Day.  I’ve spent the day with my Mom along with my three brothers and their families. Because of today’s technology, even though my sister was in New York, we were able to have her “join” us through a video call. All five siblings were together to honor my Mom on this day set apart for that purpose.

These marks in time also prompt me to pause and reflect on how blessed my life continues to be.

My personal values have their origin in the teachings and experiences of growing up in a nurturing environment rich in love and high in expectation. By certain standards, it may have appeared that we were really just an average family. We were certainly not rich financially. And yet, we did not live average lives and still do not. There was always an expectation (and example) to continuously grow into more as contributors in our community.

Because of that, we continue to be rich beyond measure. I am so very grateful for that.

The legacies left to us from the lives of multiple generations have instilled a love of family, compassion for others and a sense of responsibility for living an honorable life. A direct legacy from my parents focused on a passion to always strive to grow in knowledge and service. I’ve recognized lately the genesis is here for why I am so driven to keep learning and growing. The distinction though is that it’s not just for the sake of accumulating knowledge. It is to be able to more effectively serve.

I believe that is the key for all of us. This again goes to why I feel so strongly about the value of strategy. We must focus on why we do what we do; why we think the way we do; why we respond as we do. Because those are the questions we must keep asking ourselves in order to achieve the results we want and need.

My message today is very simple and comes from my heart. We each need to know who we want to be. That is the foundation of everything. What are the core values we want to serve because that is ultimately who we become. From there, we just need to keep our lives on a path that provides us with the opportunity to serve those values. It is a much clearer path than we might believe.

The life clutter falls away when we get clear on this one point: Who do we want to be and is that who we are? If so, how do we put those values into service? If not, what steps do we need to take in order to grow into that person? What knowledge and skills do we need to gain? What people do we need to be surrounding ourselves with in order to grow into that person? The question must be asked and answered throughout our life.

Success is empty without a purpose. Success must be invested in something bigger than what it is on its own to be fully realized. That is what I’ve learned and now share with you. This is my vision for my own life and my mission in helping you in yours. There is more value in the rest of your story than you can possibly imagine. That to me is exciting news!

Live today like you want tomorrow to be. For yourself and for those that follow you. I am so blessed and grateful that my own great-grandparents, grandparents and parents all did just that. They were always living forward. They enjoyed their moment in time and invested it in the future. I am so honored to continue to shine a light on that path.

Live well.