By Jaime Willis
Happy Monday, achievers!! I want to give a Happy Birthday shout out to my fabulous business partner, Matt Leedham. Matt and I have known each other for eleven years and worked together in three different jobs. Matt is one stand-up guy -- he is professional, he is thoughtful, he is gregarious, and he is always willing to take on a challenge. I couldn't have picked a better business partner to start a company with. (I only stress the business part, as many people have come to the false conclusion that we are also life partners. That position is reserved for his awesome wife, Yu Jin, who he loves without measure.) He's had my back innumerable times, personally and professionally, and I trust him implicitly. Thanks, ML, for being the awesome you that you are. Happy Birthday!
Speaking of Birthdays and Shout-outs, I wanted to talk a little bit about gratitude today. One blogger I read recently did a 30-day "trial" of love and gratitude, in which she told someone in her life every single day for 30 days how much they meant to her. She encouraged her readers to do the same, and the results were amazing.
Readers commented:
"Without an exception, I ended up going so deep with each person, and it gave them a chance to tell me how much they love me too."
"It’s interesting because I think most people expect complaints, and when they get love instead, it just sort of blows them away. I loved the experience."
"I had the best reaction from my father. I’ve never really told him how much I love him, and more importantly, WHY I love him. He was so touched by what I said that he had tears streaming down his face. Then I started tearing up myself. It was crazy, but so cathartic. I haven’t had that amazing a connection with my father in decades."
Yesterday, so many of us reflected on the ten years that have passed since the September 11 attacks. I was in Washington, D.C. when the planes hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon. I remember waking up to the radio and the normal shock-jock DJ was talking about a plane crashing. In my morning stupor, I thought the radio host was doing some sort of "War of the Worlds" style spoof. It wasn't until I turned on my television that I saw that his reporting was real and our cities were actually being attacked.
I remember my mom frantically trying to get a hold of me on my cell phone, which took hours as America lit up the telephone lines checking on loved ones. She wouldn't let me get off the phone until she heard me filling my bathtub with water, convinced that I needed to be prepared to bunker down in my apartment for days or weeks. I kept the water in my tub for two days before feeling ok to drain my tub. I, like everyone else, spent the entire day at home watching the news and trying to make sense of what had happened.
When tragedy, big or small, strikes us, our reactions vacillate from anger, horror, sadness, relief, and even gratitude. We often find a moment, like many of us did yesterday, to be grateful for those still in our lives and fondly remember those who were lost so abruptly ten years ago.
Although remembrances and memorials are great, don't wait for tragedy to tell your friends and family you care about them. Find time each day and week to express your love. Like Erin's readers above, you'll benefit as much as the recipient from having a stronger, truer bond to those you care about most.
With all my love --
Jaime
Happy Monday, achievers!! I want to give a Happy Birthday shout out to my fabulous business partner, Matt Leedham. Matt and I have known each other for eleven years and worked together in three different jobs. Matt is one stand-up guy -- he is professional, he is thoughtful, he is gregarious, and he is always willing to take on a challenge. I couldn't have picked a better business partner to start a company with. (I only stress the business part, as many people have come to the false conclusion that we are also life partners. That position is reserved for his awesome wife, Yu Jin, who he loves without measure.) He's had my back innumerable times, personally and professionally, and I trust him implicitly. Thanks, ML, for being the awesome you that you are. Happy Birthday!
-------
Speaking of Birthdays and Shout-outs, I wanted to talk a little bit about gratitude today. One blogger I read recently did a 30-day "trial" of love and gratitude, in which she told someone in her life every single day for 30 days how much they meant to her. She encouraged her readers to do the same, and the results were amazing.
Readers commented:
"Without an exception, I ended up going so deep with each person, and it gave them a chance to tell me how much they love me too."
"It’s interesting because I think most people expect complaints, and when they get love instead, it just sort of blows them away. I loved the experience."
"I had the best reaction from my father. I’ve never really told him how much I love him, and more importantly, WHY I love him. He was so touched by what I said that he had tears streaming down his face. Then I started tearing up myself. It was crazy, but so cathartic. I haven’t had that amazing a connection with my father in decades."
-------
Yesterday, so many of us reflected on the ten years that have passed since the September 11 attacks. I was in Washington, D.C. when the planes hit the World Trade Center and Pentagon. I remember waking up to the radio and the normal shock-jock DJ was talking about a plane crashing. In my morning stupor, I thought the radio host was doing some sort of "War of the Worlds" style spoof. It wasn't until I turned on my television that I saw that his reporting was real and our cities were actually being attacked.
I remember my mom frantically trying to get a hold of me on my cell phone, which took hours as America lit up the telephone lines checking on loved ones. She wouldn't let me get off the phone until she heard me filling my bathtub with water, convinced that I needed to be prepared to bunker down in my apartment for days or weeks. I kept the water in my tub for two days before feeling ok to drain my tub. I, like everyone else, spent the entire day at home watching the news and trying to make sense of what had happened.
-------
When tragedy, big or small, strikes us, our reactions vacillate from anger, horror, sadness, relief, and even gratitude. We often find a moment, like many of us did yesterday, to be grateful for those still in our lives and fondly remember those who were lost so abruptly ten years ago.
Although remembrances and memorials are great, don't wait for tragedy to tell your friends and family you care about them. Find time each day and week to express your love. Like Erin's readers above, you'll benefit as much as the recipient from having a stronger, truer bond to those you care about most.
With all my love --
Jaime
No comments:
Post a Comment