Episode 508 – What I am thankful for

Here we are my friends

Thanksgiving weekend in the united states

a holiday I didn’t grow up with

therefore I have little association with any tradition around it

for me its only a long awaited holiday because of the long weekend

and this year I will leave town

but before I do, I want to keep with the one tradition that I do keep for this holiday

and that is giving thanks and showing my gratitude

I don’t need turkey for that or a big gathering

Although I enjoy both

But I can simply think of what I am grateful for and that is what I want to do today

With you – here on this podcast – together

Here are 3 key aspects of my life that I am thankful for:

• My friends
  • This may sounds banal to you, but just these 2 words MY FRIENDS mean the world to me
  • You have no idea
  • 2 years ago, I barely had any friends
  • I had friends spread in different parts of the world
  • These were friends from Germany or from college
  • Friends of the past that I spoke to only sporadically
  • But these were not friends that I could meet for dinner with
  • That would help me solve a problem or motivate me
  • These were friends far away that I barely see, barely speak to
  • And when we speak, we merely update one another on the events that have happened since we last spoke
  • No
  • I am talking about actual friends
  • In the last 2 years I have made more friends that I have made my entire life
  • Listen to my recent episode on how to make friends
  • Because I finally figured it out
    • Only took me most of my life
  • I have friends
    • Friends that support my journey with advise, with motivation, and by challenging me
    • Friends that listen when I am going through a tough time
    • Friends that teach me
    • That invite me to join them on trips
  • Friends from a wide variety of background
  • If you listen to my interviews, you will meet some of them
  • The best part about my friends:
    • They make me a better person
    • They are not perfect but who they are challenges me to be at my best
    • And that is what I love about them
  • So here goes a shout out to all my friends
  • And to you my listeners – take a moment during this Thankful time of year and think about your friends
  • Acknowledge how awesome they are and how much value they add to your life
  •  
  • My work
  • I never thought I would say that but here it is
  • I am very thankful for my job
  • It took me a long time to acknowledge that I enjoy my work
  • Because when it comes to our jobs, I think we all are highly critical
    • There is the boss that’s always nagging
    • There are the co-workers that always somehow make our life difficult
    • Our pay never seems to be high enough
    • The promotion long overdue
    • All the politics we have to put with
    • The stress, the deadlines, the unreasonable expectations
    • The commute that sucks
    • The location that could be better
    • And so on
  • We spend a lot of time at work so its normal – we complain
  • And – we know so many other people that also work,
  • And we probably envy many of them
  • But here is the thing:
  • Most of the time – its really not so bad
  • My company is going through a lot of changes
  • In fact, I already know that my job will probably go away next year
  • Yet, I am quite at peace with that and I am thankful for my job
  • Everytime I browse the open postings out there, I quickly close my browser window after a few minutes – thankful for what I have and wanting to enjoy it while it lasts
  • I like what I do
  • Its challenging, its interesting, I solve problems on a daily basis which always keeps me on my toes
  • I have flexibility with my schedule and the decision that I make
  • I have a great team supporting me
  • I get compensated well
  • My commute can be a pain but it’s a beautiful drive
  • I cross a bridge and see the ocean and San Francisco every morning
  • From my desk I have a beautiful view of the hills surrounding my office
  • All around I have to say – I am pretty lucky
  • Do I wish certain things were better or different?
  • Sure
  • We all do
  • But everything I have just listed quite outweighs the few complaints I have
  • I am thankful for my job
  • And this became even clearer to me this week as I said good bye to my boss who left the company
  • I really enjoyed working for him and as I wrote him a card I realized – we sometimes aren’t grateful until its to late
  • I was often impatient and short with him
  • Now that he is gone and I don’t yet know who exactly will be my next boss, I regret some of my behaviors
  • So – this is for you my listeners – take a moment during this Thankful time of year and think about your jobs  
  • Despite all the complaints you have, many of which may be valid –
  • Try to find the good things
  • I bet there are more than you initially can think of
  • Acknowledge the value your job adds to your life
  • The life style it affords you
  • The friendships you may have formed there
  • The many things you have learned, even if it was the hard way
  • Our jobs are an important part of our growth journey as we are constantly dealing with other human beings
  • Without all my management experience, I would not be where I am today
  • And lastly
  • California
  • This is somewhat of a no-brainer because I am thankful for California almost every day
  • On my morning commute crossing the bay
  • On my evening commute as the sun sets and casts the iconic California orange glow over the water
  • On the weekends when I am in the mountains
  • California is amazing and I know being able to live here is a privilege
  • Many people dream of this
  • But life here is not cheap
  • Living here means sacrificing a lot of things that are a given in other places
    • Safety and security – not so optimal where I live
    • Housing and rental prices – crazy
    • Amenities in return for those prices – minimal
  • Yea, for what I pay in rent I could live in a modern loft downtown in some other city in this country
  • But that’s not where I want to live
  • There is a smile on my face every day when I am outside
  • Because I love California
  • And the accessibility to the outdoors is more important to me than the size of my apartment
  • Because I rather be outside anyways than inside
  • With ocean and mountains and woods all around me, there is no need for a huge house
  • There might be a need for a good car to explore the outdoors, camping gear, climbing and skiing gear, a surfboard, but not a fancy house
  • At least not for me
  • Because as soon as the weekend hits, I am gone
  • And during the week – I am at work
  • So – this is for you my listeners – take a moment during this Thankful time of year and think about where you live
  • To me California is my dream place – since I was a teenager I dreamt of California even though I couldn’t even find it on a map
  • I know many of my Texas friends love Texas
  • What do you enjoy about where you live?
  • There is a reason you live there,
  • What are you grateful for?
  • I could continue with my gratitude list but I focused on the big buckets today that we often don’t consider or simply take for granted
    • The people in our life
    • Our jobs
    • And the place we live
  • And if if it was hard for you to be grateful for one or more of these, then it might be an indicator that its time to change
  • If you are not with people, in a job or in a place that makes you happy, then take responsibility and change your circumstance
  • We spend a lot of our time in these 3 areas – at work, with the people in our live and in the places we live
  • Its important we are happy with them
  • Wishing you a wonderful thanksgiving me friends
  • As I am roaming around in the beautiful state of Utah
  • I wish you some time for reflection and gratitude
  • Wherever you are
  • Take a few moments out of the day and consider the things in your life that give you joy
  • I certainly will, although I have to say it will not be hard while being on nature
  • That’s where gratitude always comes easy to me

Please share this episode today – that would add to my gratitude for today

Much love