SURROUND YOURSELF WITH ASTONISHING PEOPLE

I was on the phone this week with people I didn’t expect to be on the phone with.? Doctors, orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists.? Gathering information, listening to strategies, and choosing the right course of action for my daughter.? I then spent a few hours on the phone with airlines, cruise lines, tour guides, hotels.? In about a week my family was set to head out on an experience that we had been planning for a year or so.? We were set to be out of the country for about a month.? We’d start with a hiking tour of Israel, make our way to Turkey, before spending some times in my favorite country, Spain.? We’d sail to Italy and France and end in Greece before jetting back to our place in New York for a few days and then on to the West Coast again. My wife was beyond excited.?The kids could barely stop talking about it.? I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to the change of scenery and the experiences that awaited. ?

But in just a few moments and one x-ray later, that trip was canceled. Lilly will be in a wheelchair and completely off both legs for the next five weeks.?Then another five in a cast. Her summer looks a bit different than she planned, and with that, so does ours.? But after the initial horror of remembering not one leg of our trip had been insured (lesson for my future self), I settled back into real life and began rebooking my May and early June.? For many, days of discouragement could set in after canceling that vacation.? But just a few hours later, after making calls while on a layover in Minneapolis, I was ready to refocus on my new schedule and settle into my regular routine for the next couple of months. ?

You see, I wake up every day and love what I do.? I wake up every day excited to take on the challenges, solve the problems, and serve my partners the best I can.? Sure, some days I don’t feel like I won.? Some days I’d go out on a limb and say that I lost.? But I do wake up energized every day, and I go to bed grateful every day.? Whether I’m in my office, at home, or in another country, I find myself happy to be there. Although I won’t be across the globe next week, I’ll be exactly where I need to be, and happy about being there. As I set out this week identifying “why” I feel this way, it struck me. It isn’t because of “what” I do, but rather because of “who” I do it with.?

While reading one morning I came across this sentence:

“Surround yourself with astonishing people doing extraordinary things.”

It’s that simple.? I have worked hard at pro-typing a life where I am surrounded by astonishing people.? I have architected and then engineered a life where I am surrounded by astonishing people. Those astonishing people are in Oregon and Washington and New York and Texas. They are in Utah and California and Florida. They are in Canada and Costa Rica and the Philippines. They are in almost every state and in almost every city in the country. And those astonishing people are doing extraordinary things.?

But those astonishing people are also at home. I live with them and I love them. They are also down the street and in the next town over. They have been loyal friends for years and I know I can count on them.?

I get to wake up and listen to them, and learn from them, and partner with them, and give it my best shot at being a leader for them. And by all means I wake up every day committed to keeping my promises to them. So as my plans changed, and the next few weeks and coming months look a bit different than I expected them to look, I didn’t find myself disappointed or discouraged. I still woke up energized for whatever I will be doing and where ever I will be. There will be no sun deck overlooking the Mediterranean for me this May. But I’ve always found sitting across the table from someone astonishing as one of the best views a person could ask for. ?