The Power of Creating Moments for Others

I started writing this column in my head while leading a team of six sled dogs through a blizzard on a 20-mile overnight camping adventure in January. In front of me, my 10-year-old daughter was leading her own team. Our guide was in front of her. We had ventured into a state forest and hadn’t seen another soul for three hours. All you could hear was the panting of the dogs and the soft crunch of the snow. It was beautiful and serene, though of course the blizzard was concerning.??

At one point, we made a turn through a thicket of trees and randomly met up with my wife and her guide, who had left the kennel via another route to space things out a bit. I was happy to see her, of course, but my guide was overjoyed to see her partner guide. “I have no idea where we are!” she blurted. My wife’s guide stayed calm and told her to take some deep breaths, the dogs would lead us to the campsite, and everything was going to be all right.??

And it was. But in that instant, I knew this would be a moment I would never forget. Twenty miles into the wilderness, in the middle of a blinding blizzard, guiding a team of sled dogs to our overnight camp, surrounded by my family. Wow. That’s special.?

The trip – a 2-day, 40-mile overnight adventure - was a gift from my wife for my 40th birthday. Forty is a tough birthday for some, and she had wanted it to be something special. And was it ever! It took us five hours to eventually find our camp after discovering we were lost. Exhausted, we bedded down the dogs, cooked dinner over an open campfire and admired the snow coming down around us. I had a birthday cake delivered to me via snowmobile from the owner of the kennel. It was most certainly a birthday to remember.??

What moments do you have seared into your brain? Most of us have those life milestone moments like graduating high school, getting married, or the day our first child was born. The question is, how many of these moments were created by others??

You see, what my wife did for me was create that moment. It was her creativity and thoughtfulness that led to that moment. In his book, “The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences have an Extraordinary Impact,” author Chip Health explores this concept deeply. He argues it is within our power each day to create moments for others - whether it is how we welcome new employees, celebrate an achievement with a business partner or take the time to tell someone what an excellent job they did on a project.??

What moments have you created for others??

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