Thankful

It’s Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada – and for those of you, like me, who had no idea why we celebrate Thanksgiving on a different day than our friends to the South, here’s a little explanation. Now, what is consistent is that our goal for the day is to give thanks for our blessings.

1000 Awesome Things

A few weeks ago I was honored to be selected by the TedxToronto team to attend their conference. I feel blessed to have shared a room with so many smart, progressive, young people. But one of the experiences that impacted me the most was an honest story from the creator of 1000 Awesome Things, Neil Pasricha. If his blog sounds familiar, you might be familiar with The Book of Awesome which has been sitting on Amazon’s bestsellers list for (I think) about 20+ weeks now.

When Neil started his blog, though, things were not so awesome. His wife had just left him, his best friend had just committed suicide and he felt utterly alone and sad. During this time, he was searching for something to be happy about. His mind kept going back to his father who, as a young adult, immigrated to Canada from Africa. His father spent this time in his new country like a child experiencing things for the first time. This appreciation of the little things was the impetus of Neil’s blog: 1000 Awesome Things. Each day Neil shares small things that makes us happy. From putting your own shoes on after going bowling to living with someone who doesn’t mind killing spiders, each anecdote is guaranteed to put a little smile on your face and retrain you to love the little things in life.

Friends

As I write this post, I’m preparing to celebrate my birthday with my closest friends. Friends, along with family, are the most important things to me. But I also cherish the friends that I’ve made throughout my career. People like Richard Foulkes, who even if I don’t get the opportunity to see him often, has the wonderful ability to always put a smile on my face. Or, Carol Moxam who is one of the brightest lights I think I’ve ever met. Samuel J Smith and Ray Hanson who have totally inspired me to take more risks – and Ray’s beautiful wife Nicole, an amazing lady who just had a baby boy. All of the #eventprofs who challenge me with new ideas. And, my incredible clients – I can’t believe that READY2SPARK will be celebrating our 1 year anniversary in just a few months.

You

I’m extremely thankful to you for sticking with me. For reading my thoughts and for challenging me with great ideas, hearty questions and amazing comments.

I’m truly thankful.