Growth Mindset – Walk Into the Future

Busy or productive? (Repost)

“Beware the barrenness of a busy life”.

(Socrates)

Dictionary.com defines busy as having a great deal to do.

Conversely, Dictionary.com defines productive as producing or able to produce large amounts of goods, crops, or other commodities.

So, which of these definitions describes your daily endeavors in the workplace?

People use the terms in a similar fashion, but I am quick to tell folks my goal is to be productive daily.

Busy can quickly become a mindset that leads to staff becoming overwhelmed with the tasks they must handle in the work environment. I ask staff members how they are doing throughout the day and when I hear someone say they are busy I simply ask: are you busy or productive?

This makes folks pause for a bit and then they want to know the difference. Again, I refer to the two distinct definitions. Someone who exclaims they are busy is identifying they have a lot of things to do, and they are thinking about that workload. Some will just come out and say I have a lot on my plate and need to get things done. Sounds reasonable but it can also cause a mental drain on the staff member and anyone else who hears a constant “I am busy” drumbeat in the work environment. Yes, there may be a lot to do but saying ‘busy’ does not move the needle to get things done.

Flip the script!

My goal is to be productive daily, and this starts with the concept of coming to work to get things done. The old saying talk is cheap would apply here. Talking about being busy does nothing to get task accomplished. A productive mindset allows staff members to come in with focus and take an active role in getting things done. Tools I use to increase productivity:

To Do Lists (daily, weekly, monthly)
Outlook calendar (meeting reminders, team time off, out of office reminders)
Face to face conversations
Email
Large Post It Notes on my office walls
Staff meetings (group, 1:1, virtual)

I have used To Do Lists for most of my professional life and these lists help me plan/organize my day to keep me focused on deadlines and work products I need to complete. I begin each morning before going into the office with a list of action items I want to accomplish for the day. I sync this list up with any items I did not complete the previous day once I arrive in the office.

FYI, I am also the first person in the building most days so I can have 45 minutes to consolidate my lists and build a game plan for the day. Yes, I put this much thought into my operation to ensure I have a productive day. I am trying to maximize my opportunities to be productive and leverage all the tools available to help me with this. A secondary benefit of my lists is they allow me to pick up where I left off when I must help staff members with a task or problem. I can come back and pick up where I left off without wasting time trying to remember what I need to get done. Please note, staff and clients take priority, so I get a lot of practice coming back to my daily lists.

Face to face conversations are a great way to keep the productivity flowing. I find simply getting up from my desk and going to have a conversation is more productive than emailing back and forth. We can talk things through, come to a consensus and eliminate potential misunderstandings. Of course, this only works if the person is available to have a conversation. 😊

The large Post It Notes on my office walls is something I started while working in the Florida State University’s Career Center. The concept was for me to put big projects on Post It Notes so staff could come into the office and add updates to each project. I began to allow staff to build their own projects and put them on my office walls so we could work them together. I got the Post It Note idea because my white board was not large enough to highlight multiple projects. I purchase the Post It Notes from Staples and they stick to the wall. These notes provide a great visual to highlight how productive we are on any given day. One of my current staff members said coming into my office and seeing the notes is like being ‘in my mind’. I quickly told her to get out of there because there is a lot going on up there. 😊

There are other ways to become productive in the work environment, but these are a few that I leverage daily to help move me and the organization forward.

So, I ask you, are you busy or productive? What tools are you using to help your productivity? I welcome your thoughts—thanks!

“Focus on being productive instead of busy”.

(Tim Ferris)

2023 Goals

“If you can dream it, you can do it”.

(Walt Disney)

Goals continue to be a huge difference maker as my Walk into the Future extends into the fifth year of existence.

I never make New Year’s Resolution but discovered creating a set of yearly goals allows me to track my progress and see personal and professional growth. This process has been working well for me so no need to adjust it for 2023.

My goals are broken up into several categories to ensure I display a level of depth and growth throughout the year. I don’t make this process overly complicated; it’s worked in the past and don’t see a need to adjust now.

Interestingly, I hit every 2022 goal marker I wrote down except for one. Several friends asked me about my goals in January and I simply stated 2022 went so well that I was going to run back most of the same goals in 2023. Small tweaks but want to continue to move forward with my growth.

Reading goals

I started reading Proverbs daily when I lived in Warner Robins, Georgia. I got the concept when I read a book written by Steven K. Scott: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived. I thought it was a get rich quick book but quickly learned that reading Proverbs provides wisdom in life. I read Proverbs daily before work and look for ways to level that wisdom in my day. My other reading goal is to read one book (minimum) each month. I love learning leadership principles so most of my reading is done to help me grow as a leader. Currently reading Atomic Habits by James Clear.

Travel goals

Always looking for new places to explore so I want to visit some new spots this year. My running tourist role has me booked to return to Clearwater, Nashville, and Orlando. My new race destination for 2023 will be the San Diego Rock N Roll Half Marathon. I’ve been to San Diego before but have never raced that far west—should be a great week for me in San Diego. I will return to Negril, Jamaica this year and want to make it down to the Turks and Caicos as a new adventure. Weekend travel will revolve around Orlando, Melbourne, Jacksonville, and Palm Beach Gardens.

Consulting

My Authentic Leadership consulting program extends into 2023 with new contracts and clients. My work in this space was a happy addition to my 2022 goals and it looks like it will continue to grow in 2023. I have already signed contracts with two different groups to bring the Authentic Leadership platform to staff members. This side gig allows me to branch out into areas of professional interest for me and hone my organizational development skills. My goal is to consult with additional organizations in this space.

Writing

My writing was steady in 2022 but one area I didn’t complete was publishing my Authentic Leadership eBook. This is a carryover from 2022 so I will need to get this done in 2023. Poems, blog posts and LinkedIn articles were writing goals I was able to meet last year. I will continue to progress in 2023 with an eye towards more content on LinkedIn to share the Walk into the Future content with a larger audience.

Exercise program

Well, everyone that reads this blog knows running a full marathon was a highlight for me. It was written down as a 2022 goal and I put the work in to meet that goal. I will continue to lift weights twice a week and get 4 weekly runs in. My long runs will be done on the weekends with 25 – 30 weekly miles. I have a full racing schedule for 2023 and this keeps me motivated to log training miles.

Volunteer

This is a new category I want to explore in 2023. I do a ton at work but need to branch out into the local community and help there as well. The Salvation Army and Treasure Coast Food Bank are two organizations I plan to help this year. I did volunteer work with the Salvation Army in Tallahassee and enjoyed my time with them. Will reach out to both organizations this month to see what I can help them with.

Goals have been huge for my success. What goals do you have for 2023?

Irie!

“Everything you can imagine is real”.

(Pablo Picasso)

Authentic Leadership Consulting Project

My Walk into the Future continues to allow me to make a difference in the world daily. I realize most of my life and writing focus appears to only be on my marathon preparation but I’m still busy with my consulting work as well.

I embarked on an Authentic Leadership consulting project with the St. Lucie County Tax Collector’s office to enhance leadership training for front line supervisors. I have been working with this organization since February but never got around to sharing with my readers. Well, now is the time to get a full understanding of the project.

The Director of Organizational Efficiency reached out to me on LinkedIn to discuss my Authentic Leadership work back in February. We had initial conversations on LinkedIn and transitioned to a phone conversation on the impact of Authentic Leadership within the work environment. I was scheduled to attend a local Chamber of Commerce event the next week and she asked if she could join me during the event to talk more. I’m always networking so invited her to join me at the Chamber event.

She brought her supervisor, the Chief Deputy with her to the Chamber event to meet me as well. We spent most of the Chamber event discussing my Authentic Leadership work and how it might benefit their organization. We agreed to stay in touch, and they invited me to meet their leadership team—an audition if you will since I did my Authentic Leadership presentation for the group.

This led to a request to provide a 5-part leadership training program to the 18 department leaders.

I worked directly with the Director of Organizational Efficiency on the topics, dates, and frequency of the training program so we could maintain a schedule that provided maximum exposure for the leaders. The topics requested were some that I already had in my library, but I was able to build new, innovative training sessions based on the needs of the organization. FYI, a full training needs assessment was completed by the intended audience to ensure I provided training that would benefit the organization—not just something I wanted to share with them. This is a major key to a successful organizational training program.

A companion 3-part leadership training program was requested for staff participating in the LEAD Academy—next line leaders coming up through the organization.

5-part program topics:

Authentic Leadership
Goal Setting
Your WHY Statement
Being a Self-Aware Leader
Empowering Leadership

3-part program topics:

Self-Awareness and Leadership
Authentic Leadership and How to be a Leader
Learn How to Interview (next position)

There was some overlap with the topics, but I was able to tailor to fit each group and their needs based on what they requested in the needs assessment.

It was great being able to see the leadership growth in each group—some folks did not understand what leadership should be when we started but quickly developed outstanding insight on leadership when we were done. I like to look into the eyes of my clients to determine if they understand a topic and the growth, I saw in the eyes of both groups they are better leaders now.

I remind my clients leadership requires continued learning and development. You must adapt to situations and people but having a strong leadership foundation is key to organizational growth.

I am in the process of building a 2023 program for the same organization to capture more up and coming leaders. This will ensure the organization continues to evolve and grow based on the training provided to the staff. Excited to partner with this organization again in 2023. Also, looking to expand my client base to conduct training with other local organizations. Never a dull moment for me! 😊

Irie!

What projects are you working on? Make it great!

Hard Ax Lounge

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“Everything goes great with some axe throwing”.

(Instagram)

The Walk into the Future blog allows me to capture my thoughts, adventures and, plans in a way that I can share with my readers.

Never sought out a venue to capture everything but this blog provides an opportunity to highlight things I do to continue to Walk into the Future.

My new adventure was a trip to the Hard Ax Lounge in Fort Pierce for a round of ax throwing. This was my second time in the Hard Ax Lounge—several of us from work made it to the lounge in December for a teambuilding activity. It was the same day as our ugly sweater party, and I never got around to capturing my thoughts on the original outing.

Turns out I picked up ax throwing fast as I was the ax throwing champion for our group back in December. Never imagined I would be good at throwing an ax but maybe my small-town upbringing in Jasper, Florida translated to becoming an ax man. 😊

Made my way back for round two with a smaller group of friends on a lazy Sunday afternoon. I did not have preconceived ideas that my first ax throwing adventure would translate to this session. Everyone must go through the safety training—ax throwing can be dangerous, and it helped to get pointers from the ax experts that work there.

There are different ax sizes, and each ax performs a bit different from the next. The instructors show all participants how to hold and throw the axes based on size and weight. They offer everyone an opportunity to throw each ax to get a better feel for which ax works best. I had a lot of success with the smallest ax during my first experience so decided to stick with what worked best for me in the past.

The first part of the throwing session is just getting familiar with throwing the ax and working on form and aim. The concept is like throwing darts, but the ax does a lot more damage when it hits the target. We went through several rounds of practice before the ax experts introduced the ax throwing competition into the session.

The ax board is numbered, and scores are based on the number your ax sticks to (8, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1). The first game introduced was a game of 21. You throw with the idea of hitting numbers that add up to 21 to be crowned the winner. If your throw total goes OVER 21 then you go back down to 12 and throw again with the intent to end up on 21. Pretty simple, huh?

Throws are rotated between everyone on your lane, so everyone gets a turn in the rotation towards 21.

My throwing technique is very basic. I grab the small ax, position myself on the lane and then let it fly—not rocket science but I try not to overthink this simple process.

Fast forward and my throws got me close to 21 multiple times, but I had to go back to 12 since I kept going over. Luckily for me, others throwing on my lane could not take advantage of me having to go back to 12 and win the game. We played three rounds, and I was able to win 2 out of 3 rounds and leave as the ax throwing champion for the day. FYI—double champion!

Ax throwing is a fast-growing sport, and it continues to get bigger in the Fort Pierce area. I’m sure this is not the last ax win for the Walk into the Future blog.

Home

Have you ever competed in ax throwing?

“Throw your axe and have some fun”.

(Instagram)

Inspiration Man—Florida Association of Colleges and Employers (FloridaACE) Keynote

Keynote

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty”.

(Winston Churchill)

To keynote or not?

This was a question I faced back in October 2021 when one of my friends asked me to consider being the keynote speaker for a virtual Drive-In conference.

The Florida Association of Colleges and Employers (FloridaACE) members come from college/university Career Services and employers who maintain active on-campus recruiting programs.

I have been a member of FloridaACE for over 10 years and have made some great contacts throughout the state of Florida.

Fun fact, I was selected as the keynote for the inaugural Drive-In Conference back in 2016. I gave my keynote address at the University of Central Florida in the building I used to work in prior to moving to FSU. Who says you can’t come home again? 😊

The Drive-In Conference is designed to be shorter than a regular conference—a day and a half instead of a full week. The concept of the Drive-in Conference is to make it accessible to a large population of attendees who can physically drive to the location and not need hotel accommodations.

COVID-19 made the concept of virtual conferences come to life and this Drive-In Conference was switched to a virtual format.

I love to spread the Inspiration Man message to any group that will sit and listen. I hesitated to accept this request because it was via Zoom, and I did not know how my message would translate on a virtual platform. I love in-person audiences and feed off the crowd when I present. A virtual keynote was a challenge to me but one I am happy I accepted—things went well from start to finish.

The 2021 FloridaACE Virtual Drive-In Conference was titled: Gulf-to-Coast Connections.

I reached out to my friend to get a better understanding of the conference title and how significant it was to attendees. Turns out the term gulf was picked so people in western Florida would not feel left out. I decided to focus on the conference in terms of how people on both coasts (Gulf and Atlantic) could connect to build Authentic Connections. Yes, I put authentic in most things I do these days. 😊

Happy to report I accepted the Keynote invitation and was able to move the crowd on a virtual platform.

I researched the term Authentic Connections to build my knowledge base as I worked to create a presentation to inspire others. There is a ton of research available, and my new task was to filter this data in a way to build the presentation.

The key to any form of connection is RELATIONSHIPS. My goal during the keynote was to highlight to the attendees how technology (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, LinkedIn, etc.) allow us to reach a larger audience than before. There was always a mindset to catch-up with colleagues during the annual in-person conference or workshop. This was an effective way to connect back in the day, but COVID created new options/ways to connect.

We can reach out to potential mentors and colleagues by utilizing the technology we have. My keynote centered on how FloridaACE members could leverage technology and build authentic connections.

Authentic Connections should be genuine, direct, and focused. My point for the group was to highlight relationships can be built virtually, in-person or a combination of both platforms. You must want to make a connection for it to happen. Networking with an intentional mindset helps build connections too.

I would have been remiss if I did not talk about some of the challenges we face when attempting to make new connections:

COVID-19
No in-person events
Zoom fatigue
Multiple platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, LinkedIn, etc.)

Simply figuring out how and when to connect with others has been a challenge even for me.

Some folks prefer a phone call, others are all about Zoom and then you have a set who want in-person connections because they want to feel normal again. I shared with my audience it is okay to identify a preferred platform and stick with that. I prefer Microsoft Teams now when connecting with anyone not on-campus with me. The key to this I have found is to state the preference up-front and then provide a Microsoft Teams calendar invite to eliminate confusion on how/when we will connect.

The concept of recalibrate was addressed to ensure attendees understand they must adjust thought processes in today’s world. We are not going back to pre-COVID networking so finding authentic connections should be prioritized for them to happen. Following up after making a request is an outstanding way to continue to build the connections needed to make a difference in the world.

Being a keynote speaker during a virtual conference was a new experience for me but I was able to make several authentic connections during and after the event. Will see how many attendees follow-up with me and leverage the wisdom I dropped on them.

How do you make/ensure authentic connections in your world? Thanks!

“Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners”.

(Dale Carnegie)

Pizza night

2nd Street Bistro

“Every pizza is a personal pizza if you try hard and believe in yourself”.

(Bill Murray)

Raise your hand if you do not like pizza! Doubt there are many hands up right now since everyone loves pizza. 😊

I admit I enjoy pizza probably more than anyone I know and have decided this is my go-to cheat meal. I have never been one to count calories and my running program allows me to indulge without having to worry much about gaining weight. Not saying this as a brag point but just a daily fact for me.

The Treasure Coast provides me with multiple dining options to include fresh seafood and great ocean views while out for a meal. I take advantage of these options, but my designated pizza night is one I look forward to weekly.

I was introduced to 2^nd Street Bistro as a great place to catch a ballgame while enjoying a beer at the bar. Seemed like a typical place to get wings, drink a beer, and watch Florida Gator football on Saturdays. Happy to report 2^nd Street Bistro provides all these things but it turns out they have a fantastic menu with rotating daily specials. It is not your typical dive bar but a place to get a great meal for really good prices. Note: they provide a substantial military discount on all menu items, so I am hooked since I love saving money. 😊

I made my first weekday journey into 2^nd Street Bistro on a random Wednesday after work because I wanted to get a beer and see what was on the menu. I did not venture out a lot in 2020 due to COVID but kept hearing about this place and the food. Made my way downtown Fort Pierce once I felt comfortable being around people again and grabbed a high-top table to enjoy a meal.

Turns out Wednesday is half price Bistro Burger night and there are a lot of fans of the burger. There is always a good crowd of folks in the restaurant to take advantage of the special and get their burgers. The menu has a lot of variety and everyone in there has a favorite menu item.

I did not have a specific food item in mind when I stopped in on the first Wednesday night so I asked the waitress what she recommended. She rattled off that everything on the menu is great, so I was on my own selecting what I wanted for dinner.

Gravitated to the pizza selections and the waitress said they were all good—she’s tried them all. Decided to go with my tried-and-true Pepperoni pizza with extra Pepperoni. Never imagined a place like 2^nd Street Bistro would have pizza this good but I am hooked.

The personal pizzas are made once ordered so it takes a bit for it to make it to the table. Trust me, it is well worth the wait. The ingredients are fresh, and the pizza comes out of the oven smoking hot. Learned that lesson the hard way the first time I got a pizza. 😊

I have been hooked on the Pepperoni pizza from day one and Wednesdays have become my official pizza night. Everyone who knows me can track my location after work on Wednesdays to 2^nd Street Bistro. I am such a regular there the hostess takes me directly to a high-top table and the waitress does not bring me a menu. She puts in my Bud Light draft and a personal Pepperoni pizza with extra Pepperoni. I told her one day I am going to change my order up to mess with her but one day has not happened yet.

I have tried other items on the menu but not on Wednesdays—that is my designated pizza night since I run on Tuesdays and Thursdays after work. Figure I earned a cheat day and 2^nd Street Bistro helps me cheat like a champ! 😊

Can’t wait for my next pizza night!

What is your favorite place to get a cheat meal? What is the meal? Thanks!

https://2ndstreetbistro.com/

“I’d rather have leftover pizza than leftover feelings”.

(Sarah Burgess)

Two Americas—Right before your eyes!

USA

(Image by Mediamodifier from Pixabay)

“The worst form of justice in pretended justice”.

(Plato)

Dictionary.com defines white privilege as inherent advantages possessed by a white person based on their race in a society characterized by racial inequality and injustice.

Merriam-Webster defines bias as a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly.

So, where am I heading with these definitions? I will get to the point but need to ask you a few questions.

Who is Gabby Petito? Who is Brian Laudrie?

I am sure you did not need to run a Google search to provide an answer to either of those questions. We have learned more about both individuals on the morning, afternoon, nightly and cable news shows almost daily since September.

We know she was a travel influencer and they traveled out west to hike and camp while documenting the trip. We also know there was an incident during the trip and police were called in to investigate and/or deescalate the situation between the couple. No arrests were made, and the couple continued the journey without a warning from the police.

I will not dive much deeper into the situation because it has been covered extensively by the news media. We know where they were before Gabby went missing and Brian decided to return to his parent’s home in Florida. The media set up outside the homes of both families and conducted interviews with them. The media spoke with local law enforcement, FBI agents and experts on finding missing people.

The media coverage for this ONE case was 24/7! We got in-depth and breaking news coverage to let us know every time something new was identified in the case. Bravo to the news media for being so aggressive providing us with these vital updates.

Next question. Who is Jelani Day? I am going to wait so you can go Google his name.

He disappeared the month PRIOR to Gabby but no round the clock coverage to inform us of updates in the investigation. We did not get updates on a person of interest, circumstances surrounding his disappearance or background information about him.

I found an article on USA Today in the News category—it was not listed as Breaking News or a Top Headline. I am happy his story was listed at all but why the disparity in how both cases were covered by the media? Another question I must ask is how many other people went missing during the same time frame, but we heard nothing about them on the national news either. This is what media bias looks like!

People of color are missing right now but there appears to be only one story the media is interested in covering. I am fine with the media covering this case but why do they completely ignore everyone else? It is hard to not see the media bias in the coverage, but the sad thing is multiple networks/outlets are all doing the same thing.

Would we know more about Jelani Day’s investigation IF the media put as much interest in his case as the one we all have been hearing about since September? Don’t answer that—I know the answer!

Jelani Day and all missing people should be afforded the same coverage and investigation we have seen for the disappearance of Gabby Petito—nothing more or less!

I wrote about The Two Americas last summer—this is another example. You be the judge.

Research:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/23/jelani-day-illinois-state-university-missing-body-river/5837256001/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/09/23/gabby-petito-mourned-search-continues-brian-laudrie/5825006001/

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/fbi-releases-video-of-10-rioters-who-allegedly-committed-most-brutal-assaults-on-police-officers/ar-BB1eJ4Dl?li=BBnb7Kz

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/grim-list-of-deaths-at-police-hands-grows-even-after-verdict/ar-BB1fUUsL?li=BBnb7Kz

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/2021/10/26/kyle-rittenhouse-victims-shooting-trial-judge-ruling-travesty/8560336002/

“Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes”.

(Public Enemy)

Poetic Flow

Poetic Rose

(Image by congerdesign from Pixabay)

“The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth”.

(Jean Cocteau)

The Humble Approach

Humility brings life reassessment

Which path to choose?

Can it really work as planned?

A humble nature provides the path

Seek the truth by living the truth

The rewards you seek will come

Strive to find the path that fits

And happiness will be your reward

Who are you? Self-awareness

Make Things Happen

“Self-awareness is the golden key to making life changing decisions and sticking to them”.

(Dr. Prem Jagyasi)

Dictionary.com defines self-awareness as conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.

Sounds simple enough but I like to explore self-awareness more when I conduct teambuilding exercises. Self-awareness is needed within the work environment and impacts how well the team functions. We all bring different things into the work environment daily and need to understand how and what these things are. I routinely ask the following question when I start the teambuilding process:

Who are you?

Take 2 minutes and ask yourself the question Who are you? multiple times. Record each of your responses. My examples to this exercise are:

Who are you? Black man
Who are you? Blogger
Who are you? Leader
Who are you? Running tourist
Who are you? Son
Who are you? Uncle
Who are you? Mentor
Who are you? Friend

Now it is your turn—answer the question and record your responses—I will wait! 😊

How many responses did you list to the question?

The answers may surprise people you work with and maybe yourself. There is not a right or wrong way to supply responses to the question. The major point is everything you listed enters the work environment with you daily.

This is an important point as we build teams and help staff members get to know others on the team. I have used this teambuilding exercise multiple times to enhance the work environment and help with team growth.

The point of this process is to allow team members to fully understand what they bring to work. It also shows a new level of self-awareness and how we interact with others. This exercise enhances team awareness and shows everyone they have more in common than they thought.

True leaders can use this data to ensure they treat staff members as individuals and not let their self-awareness impact how they treat others.

Example: I do not have kids–this should not impact how I deal with a parent who needs to leave work early because of a sick child. Some people in leadership positions make decisions based on their worldview only. This is a horrible way to lead a team.

Authentic leaders understand how they are viewed and the impact this has on the team. Self-aware leaders create more self-aware leaders.

So, I ask again—who are you? How does this level of self-awareness impact your daily interactions?

“What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself”.

(Abraham Maslow)

The grateful 5 (5 things I’m grateful for)

Grateful

“A grateful heart is a magnet for miracles”

(Pinterest)

Dictionary.com defines grateful as feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness; thankful.

Pretty simple concept and one to dig into a bit more. I do a lot of reading and came across a blog article titled the Top 5 Things I am Grateful For. The article and title are straight forward so I decided to try my writing chops to explore this from my perspective.

Family

Spend any amount of time with me and I will tell you about my family. My family on my mom’s side consists of 5 uncles and 4 aunts. The last time we counted I had 32 first cousins and 69 second cousins. I know that last number has gone up, but we have not counted them in a long time.

This large extended family unit allowed me to grow up in an environment where most of my early friends were family members. We did not add nonfamily friends until we started school because there were enough of us around to field our own teams in most sports.

I am grateful for having so many family members who go out of their way to look out for each other. Seems like a simple thing but we spent most Thanksgivings with this large unit and enjoyed our time together. COVID-19 put a halt on our large family get togethers last year but hopefully we can find a way to get the crew together this year—safely!

Friends

My Walk into the Future journey has allowed me to make some truly great friends. Please note, I do not let a lot of people into my inner circle, so my friends are special people to me. I have friends who are not cousins and I have known them my entire life. We stay connected and get back together whenever possible and continue to grow our friendship.

I have friends I met while in the Air Force and we have become our own family unit. I look forward to getting together and catching up whenever possible. COVID-19 has put a halt to our running tourist trips, but I am sure we will get back on track in the future. New Orleans is calling!

I met my best friend in the gym one morning as she bullied me to help her with the weights she was lifting—true story! 😊 Seriously, a simple gym conversation launched a great friendship, and we chat and catch up on life as much as possible. See you on Park Avenue!

My tree branches are all friends I look forward to catching up with. Could be a simple email, text, or phone call but love hearing how well my folks are doing in this world. I enjoy seeing them exploring life via Instagram stories and pictures they share. I live through them daily and enjoy seeing the growth of my tree. WE ARE! Go Bucks! Go Noles! Go Gators!

Running

I found running later in life but cannot imagine a world without me putting in my miles. The concept of running a half marathon was foreign to me in 2013 but now I run 6 to 8 half marathons yearly (pre-COVID). I had no intention to run another half marathon after my first attempt because it took me three full weeks to recover. Of course, I had no idea how to train, hydrate or recover properly—lessons learned the hard way! LOL.

My stated goal for 2022 is to explore my first full marathon. I am hoping COVID does not come back like 2020 and eliminates all future running events. I am always looking for motivation when I run so training for a full marathon should keep me putting in the miles for years to come. Trying to convince several friends to come race with me. Let’s go Laurens! 😊

“Running helps me maintain my ‘never killed anyone’ streak”.

(Pinterest)

Health

Happy to report I can eat and drink whatever I want. My running and weight training programs help with this, but I am blessed with good health. Running has not caused undue aches or pains and helps me maintain a healthy weight without counting calories. My weight training provides strong muscle structure to keep me moving forward. My annual physicals produce good numbers, and the doctor does not have to get onto me to eliminate anything from my diet. Grateful to continue to age well! 😊

My Blog

Started the Walk into the Future blog without a clear understanding how it would impact me. I thought I would just write a few things down and see if anyone wanted to read my words. Turns out the blog has become an extension of me and gives me a platform to share thoughts, ideas, and adventures. My writing process has slowed down as my work obligations expand but I am still able to keep 4 to 5 weeks of blog articles in my production library. I would like to get back up to 8 to 10 weeks of articles in reserve in case I need to revise or update them before publishing. Not sure how long I will continue to publish the blog but still have a ton of material to explore so hope you stay with me on this journey! 😊

Bonus: My readers

Grateful for everyone who takes the time to read my blog. Your positive affirmations always put a smile on my face and inspire me to work to produce better content weekly. Thank you for following the Walk into the Future blog! Well done!

What are YOU grateful for? I welcome your thoughts!

“The struggles ends when the gratitude begins”.

(Neale Donald Walsh)

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