The Honda Odyssey struck the curb and hopped it right in front of the main entrance to the Cancer Center and continued directly towards us. Another person leaving the clinic, my wife, and I got out of the way and watched the Honda roll to a stop feet from the sliding door. A second older Dodge minivan screeched to a halt behind it.
Before I had time to process what was happening, two ladies jumped out of the Dodge screaming to call the police. A heated argument about stolen dogs, possible child abuse, and pulling knives on each other erupted. The door to the Honda was pulled open, two chihuahuas were running loose, and the fight was on! This certainly had not been part of my plan for the day…
“Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” -Mike Tyson
For over two years, I had the pleasure of traveling all over the continental United States teaching and presenting school safety protocols and crisis response. If you happen to have attended one of those presentations, you probably heard me reference the above quote. It’s one of my favorites.
In the context of crisis response, I used it as a metaphor for the importance of having a planned response to emergencies while having the flexibility to adapt to the unexpected, impossible to predict circumstances that arise.
There’s a broader application of the quote to life, though. How we react to unexpected life circumstances can have a massive impact on our attitude and ability to move steadfastly forward to our aspirations. In his book, “The Winning Attitude” John C. Maxwell emphasizes the importance of attitude in life. I couldn’t agree more. It’s easy to overlook how fortunate we all are in life. Even in the most dire of circumstances, the old adage of someone else always having it worse is true.
As we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, I would be remiss by not commenting on the power of gratitude. As I reflect on the last 12 months, the amount of massive change that has come into our lives is impossible to ignore.
In the last year, my wife’s employer restructured and she lost the job and co-workers she adored. We listed and sold our Wisconsin home, temporarily moved in with my father, closed on a home in Las Vegas, and moved 1,800 miles across the country. My wife’s left ankle was destroyed, surgically repaired, and still healing as a result of her doing nothing more than sitting in the bleachers at a high school basketball game.
As the Foundation pursued its own restructure, it was time to unexpectedly part ways on great terms and begin building AEI with limited resources, even less time, and a brand new mortgage looming over us. And then the coup de grâce…
While establishing with a new primary physician in Las Vegas, my wife went in for a mammogram. A few days later, she received the follow-up phone call that there appeared to be an “asymmetrical anomaly” and the doctor would like to take a second look. A second look confirmed the need for a biopsy. Which led to us walking out of the cancer clinic on Monday afternoon with minivans, chihuahuas, old women fighting literally arriving at the threshold of the door we were walking through.
After the arrival of Metro Police, we left the Clinic and drove home discussing the sheer absurdity that just spawned in front of us. It led to a greater conversation surrounding reflection of what life has sent to our inbox in the last 12 plus months.
Our gratitude as a family is immense. As a person of faith, it is my routine and habit to say out loud each day, “Thank you, God; today is going to be a great day.” (Thanks for the life hack Dr. Fogg!) Every test that has been thrown our way has resulted in greater achievements, more success, and new doors being opened.
Gratitude is the instant cure-all for any circumstance that leads you down the easy road of anger, victimhood, and persecution. Someone somewhere really DOES have it worse. It is impossible to feel sorry for yourself, victimized, or have anger in your heart if you are grateful for the positives in your life…and there are ALWAYS positives. I once heard former Columbine High School principal Frank Deangelis say, “Not every day is good, but there’s good in every day.” I have found this to be the raw truth.
I googled the definition of “the good life” once out of curiosity. The good life is (by definition), “living in the place you belong, with the people you love, doing the right work, on purpose.” My wife and I’s conclusion? We are truly living the good life.
I am grateful for the tests I have been handed, as it has taught me to be resourceful. I am grateful for every challenge that surfaced in the last year, as overcoming them has solidified my confidence and spirit. I am grateful for being in a position where success is my only option, as it has forced me to live what I teach, validated those principles, and provided a quality of life and deep sense of purpose that I didn’t realize was possible.
This Thanksgiving, take an inventory of things to have gratitude for in your life. Internalize it and the next challenge that comes your way, refocus on it. Choosing to find gratitude in any scenario is a superpower; and I desperately want you to experience that level of peace. We are grateful for our health, our children, our home, and those we consider to be family.
If you’re curious, many of the above challenges have already had their one little “happy ending”. My wife found a new job with a great company with a team she adores. We love living in Las Vegas and it’s allowed us to restore some level of joy to my father, who lives with us and has had his own challenges. He is a gift and an inspiration. Serving people through AEI has been rewarding beyond anything I could have anticipated. The quality of people I have met conducting business has made me a better person.
We are optimistic about the unresolved challenges. We have already found gratitude in how my wife’s health situation has refocused our attunement. We are grateful for the positive news we are anticipating to get shortly.
Gratitude has allowed me to pivot and roll with the punches…even the face punches. If you become aware of your attitude starting to slip, refer back to that inventory of things you’re grateful for. AEI wishes everyone a positive and meaningful Thanksgiving.
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