What We Should be Thankful for on Our Birthday

I am quite possibly the most anti-birthday human being on the planet. It would be fine with me if we just erased birthdays all together and another birthday wasn’t celebrated for the rest of time. I know I am in the minority. People love their birthday. Friends and family celebrate them like we did all the hard work the day we were brought onto this earth.

 So, instead of throwing myself a party, I want to take a chapter of out of the great James Allen’s playbook.

“No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.” –James Allen

 Here are the top 9 things that I am thankful for on my birthday:

“Family where life begins and love never ends.”

 Margie and Keith Eades provided my two brothers and me with a strong family unit and were sources of unending support. No kid could ask for a better situation. My wife Amy and I are lucky to be given a chance to pass that on to our two beautiful children John Ellis (4) Lucy (1.5). Through the family I was born into and the family that I have created, I have learned so much about putting others first. 

"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."- Walter Winchell

You don't realize how important great friends are until you really need them. While I have too many to list, I have been blessed with fantastic friends that support me and hold me accountable to be the best professional, father, and husband I can be.  If you don't have friends like this in your life or if you have friends that do the opposite, take a look in the mirror and make this a priority.

“A mentor empowers a person to see a possible future, and believe it can be obtained”- Shawn Hitchcock

 To the mentors in my life: Steve Smith, Scott Cornwell, Jason Sutton, Chuck Hood, Chris Halligan, Tom Coyle, Robert Kear, David Dooley, Mac Lackey and Charlie McNealy; thank you. Any young professional would be lucky to have just one of you guiding them through the minefield of their career. If you are in my position, seek out a mentor; the more the better. They are incredible sources of knowledge and wisdom, but you have to make the effort to find them. I can assure you the effort will always pay off.

“Happiness is working with people”

 I get more fulfillment and value out of seeing my colleagues improve and succeed than anything else I do on a daily basis. To Christina Wilder, Mark Houston, Ravi, Pranay, Amy; I couldn’t do my job without you and I wouldn’t want to.   To my former colleagues who shaped me into the man and leader that I am today, thank you. While I can't name them all special thanks to Dorthy Wood, Tim Sullivan, Grant Cox and Nick Maslanka, your support guided me down a path with a sometimes rough terrain. I still rely on what you taught me to keep my business alive every day.

"You can never be satisfied as an entrepreneur, and the basis of any successful, growing business is new clients" - Herjavec

Businesses don’t exist without clients. Its funny how quickly organizations forget about the people that open their doors and feed their families. To anyone we have worked with and will continue to work with, thank you. You have helped us turn the online learning and the leadership development world upside down.

“If you aren't in over your head, how do you know how tall you are?”- T.S. Elliot 

 I am so excited and even more grateful for the opportunities that have presented themselves in such a short amount of time. Our brand new Getting Leadership Ready Program, The Follow My Lead Podcast (On iTunes tomorow), and the book living in my head (and begging to get on paper); thank you for choosing me. Life is too short not to try difficult and challenging things. It’s amazing what begins to happen when you willingly and optimistically take on them on.

“I can do all things in Christ who strengthens me”

 I am a Christian man. There is no judgment here, as to what you believe in. In my experience, faith has freed me to pursue life knowing that I’m not alone; I am strengthened by my relationship with Christ and he is responsible for what ultimately happens. All I can do is try to use the gifts he has given me to the best of my abilities.

"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." - Tony Robbins

Out of the box thought leaders like Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuck, Seth Godin, Tim Ferriss, Urban Meyer, Simon Sinek, Michael Hyatt, and Bill McDermott could never be repaid the amount of value they have provided to me.  While I don't always agree with everything they say, write or believe, they get me out of my comfort zone and help me to think critically.  Please do yourself a favor an find multiple thought leaders that do this for you.

"I do virtually nothing except my work. No hobbies." - Milton Glaser

I couldn't disagree with Milton more. While I love my work I love things outside of work. Having ways to get away from work and the office are critically important. Hobbies are a fantastic way to network, build lifelong friendships, and bring joy to life. For me it’s golf, my sports teams (Carolina Panthers, Charlotte Hornets, Atlanta Braves) and live music. I fit them in when I can and always come back to work with a renewed vigor inspired by what I did while I was gone.

 While my birthday gratitude has been personal, I believe these 9 areas apply to all of us. When your birthday comes around, I hope you think of this article and identify the people and things that have carried you through another year of your life. I am using the hashtag #birthdaythanks and if you feel so inclined to tweet, write a blog, snapchat (@johngeades), or send a Facebook update to say thank you to the people and things that made a big impact on you, feel free to use it as well.

John Eades is the President and CEO of LearnLoft. He is passionate about the development of people. He writes, speaks, and hosts a podcast about leadership and modern learning techniques.

Follow My Lead Podcast:  

Our team at LearnLoft has created a Podcast called 'Follow My Lead’ (iTunes) Follow My Lead (Blog)  It’s purpose is to transfer stories and best practices of today's leaders to the leaders of tomorrow.

Getting Leadership Ready. LearnLoft's out of the box training approach to helping organizations develop their young professionals to be better and more proactive leaders. Find out more here