“A better life starts with two simple words – Thank You.”
It’s painful when you realize how much you’ve been taking life for granted. Even now, there are moments when I forget and just assume that there will always be more time.
“Oh I can do it tomorrow…”
But the fact of the matter is, I may not get tomorrow and there’s still so much I want and need to do.
Tonight, I attended a business meeting with one of my mentors and some colleagues and one of the things he said that stood out to me was,
“How can you help take care of other people if you can’t first take care of yourself?”
And that’s when it hit me, I can only give and do for others what I’m able to give and do for myself. I’ve seen that to be true in my role as a caregiver, as a health educator, as an entrepreneur and as an artist.
I knew this intellectually, but I never fully got it in my heart… until tonight. In that moment, I had a new opportunity to grow.
I got to learn how to practice being grateful and not having it all together and acknowledging myself for who I was and who I was becoming,
So where else in my life did I need to practice gratitude?
Where else was I being given the chance to maximize my potential and maximize my life by saying thank you?
The first person I think of is my partner.
Over the past seven years, I have bounced around from acting to personal training to working for a presentation skills training company to cancer coaching to being an entrepreneur.
And while it has been an easy journey, he’s been there. He’s supported me. He’s taken on more of the responsibilities in order for me to do the work I’m here to do. Although I could say thank you a million times, there are truly no words to express how thankful I am for the fact that he’s been there. He showed up… and sometimes that’s half the battle.
Regardless of what you’re doing, you need to have a support system in your life that fuels you and keeps you going. Sometimes your friends or family or colleagues or significant other may not fully agree with you or see your vision… and that’s okay.
But to have people by your side as you go through the journey is a real blessing and, for that, you can be forever grateful.
© 2014 Donell Hill
About Donell Hill
Donell (“Donnie”) Hill believes that people are here on Earth to thrive and live their best life possible despite any circumstances that life brings them. He combines his life lessons until now with his Stanford University education, experiences as a Certified Cancer Journey Coach and Peer Health Educator, as a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a professional to help people live their potential and maximize their lives. After all, our collective future depends on it. See www.TheLifeMaximizer.com for more.