Enjoy, Imprint and Appreciate the CIRCLE OF LIFE

As I sit here at the midnight hour and hold Baby Hiro, I’ve been thinking a lot about the Circle of Life. Mother Teresa said “Joy is a net by which you catch souls.”

I have had the joy these past few months of spending time with a few of my favorite souls – and two new souls.

When my sons Tom and Andrew called to let me know they and their wives – Patty and Miki – were having babies, and asked if I would I like to spend time with them in Boulder and Brooklyn; the answer was an instant yes.

That led to several months of bliss where I’ve had the opportunity to go to the Denver aquarium, stroll the farmers market, and enjoy street festivals, museums and picnics at lake parks with Tom, Patty, Mateo, and Natalia.

Some of my favorite times have been the simple times, e.g., singing Mateo to sleep after reading him “Good Night Moon” and “Llama, Llama, Red Pajama,” him taking my hand to lead me to the playground, watching him play Jungle Gym (Jungle Tom?) on his dad, baby Natalia chortling in delight as she gets her frequent flyer miles from Patty, hanging out on the couch together and watching Hidden Figures.

And now I’m in NYC with 10 day old Baby Hiro and Andrew and Miki. Is there any deeper joy than a brand new baby resting peacefully on your chest? I gaze at him and think what a miracle he is – what every child is – and how fortunate I am to share these early days and late nights together.

Part of the joy of this experience has been spending time with Patty’s family – her Mom, Dad, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews and nieces – and experiencing the encompassing, enduring support of a loving family.

Add to that the full-circle joy of talking on the phone with my sis Cheri and marveling about “Long Days, Short Years” and how it didn’t seem all that long ago that Tom, Andrew and Christy were newborns, bouncing in their jolly jumpers, getting their drivers license and going to prom.

Andrew and Miki have a steady stream of friends coming by to ooh and aah and welcome Baby Hiro to the world, which has made his arrival even more special.

Being surrounded by three different generations is like a “Circle of Life” come true. As I gaze at Zen Baby Hiro, I am filled with gratitude for the blessing of being able to spend this time with my sons, their soul mates, children and community of friends and family.

As the lyrics from the title song of the Disney movie Lion King say, "From the day we arrive on the planet And, blinking, step into the sun There's more to see than can ever be seen … ... It's the circle of life."

As Mateo, Natalia and Hiro arrive on this planet and step, crawl and blink into the sun, there IS more to see than can ever be seen ... and I’m doing my best to imprint every joyous moment of this circle of life, this circle of love.

Day Right Quote #61: Children Spell LOVE Differently. They Spell it T-I-M-E.

Children spell LOVE differently. They spell it T-I-M-E. Actually, most people spell love as TIME.

Who do you love?

How will you SHOW them that this weekend by setting other priorities aside and giving them your time, undivided attention and full, appreciative presence?

Are you thinking, "I have work to catch up on? Errands to run. Chores to take care of?"

Please rethink that.

Is that work - are those chores - really more important than your loved ones?

I'm not suggesting we set aside work and chores every weekend.

But this is a holiday weekend.

How about making your family and friends your priority these three days?

You will never regret making time for the people you love - you will only regret not doing it sooner and more often.

Day Right Quote 57: You Can Love Your Job But It Won't Love You Back

A couple years ago this week I spoke for the Women in Consumer Technology conference in NYC and Cathie Black, former President of Hearst Magazines was the other keynoter. When asked her most important lesson-learned about work she said, "You can love your job but it won't love you back."

This came to mind because several people have said something to me recently about their job that caused me to think, "WHY do we do this to ourselves?"

One was flying from our afternoon meeting in one city to another city, had two presentations the next day, one at 8 am and she hadn't begun crafting her power point presentation which meant she was going to have to do it that night when she arrived on the East Coast after 10 pm or the next morning at 5 am.

One spoke about how "insanely busy" she was and that it was going to get worse before it got better because September was going to be a "brutal month."

The other had gotten sick six times in four months (she said, "How is that possible?!) and realized it was a wake-up call as to how toxic her work had become.

So, the question is, "Do you love your job?" At what cost?

Can you love your career AND maintain your quality of life?

How will you love your job AND make time for other priorities you love that love you back - like your friends, your family, your health and your __________ fill in the blank?

Day Right Quote #27: Imprint

I reconnected with friends in DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) last week. It was wonderful getting caught up and finding out what's going on in each other's lives. One asked, "What's it like having a new grand baby?" I smiled and said, "There are moments when she's gazing into my eyes or cuddled on my chest that I am FILLED with what a blessing she is. I IMPRINT those special moments so I can re-visit them whenever I want, as often as I want."

I also had an opportunity to co-present a workshop with my son, Andrew, for the Institute for Excellence in Sales.

There were moments I looked at him all grown up, (it seems like it wasn't that long ago he was in his jolly jumper) sharing insights and stories with the audience with them hanging onto every word ... and I imprinted what a GIFT it is to do work I love that matters WITH my son, watching him shine and add value.

So many of us are juggling so many responsibilities, rushing from one appointment to the next, racing through our days. That's a prescription for missing our life.

It's important to PAUSE in the midst of special moments and imprint them.

If you imprint special moments, they are there waiting for you to re-experience whenever you want, as often as you want. It's a way to truly and more deeply experience the blessings of our life instead of rushing right past them.

Lesson #2 From my Year by the Water: We're Not Torn Between Two Worlds; We Have the Best of Both Worlds

Years ago when my sons we're growing up on Maui, I felt torn between two worlds. I had two sons I loved and wanted to be with AND had a thriving speaking/training business that called for me to be on the road and in the air. At a National Speakers Association convention on the mainland, I ran into a long-time friend Maggie Bedrosian. We hadn't seen each other since I had left Washington D.C. for the Hawaiian Islands several years before.

Maggie asked, "Sam, how are you?" I started telling her. Before I could finish, Maggie being Maggie, (she must have been an impish elf and wise sage in another life) interrupted me and said, "No Sam, tell me in ONE WORD how you're doing."

Wow, what a great question. It forced me to distill everything I was feeling into one catchall phrase. I dug deep, opened my mouth, and out came "Maggie, I'm … conflicted."

Her eyebrows flew up. "Conflicted? How so?"

"Yesterday morning I was on Keawakapu Beach with Tom and Andrew at golden hour. They were charging into the surf with their boogie boards, riding those waves all the way in until they scraped their bellies on the beach, and then running out to catch another one. It was Nirvana. I didn't want to be anywhere else.

Today, I’m here at this conference surrounded by smart, talented peers, I'm learning new things, speaking on my favorite topic, my brain's on fire, and I'm humming with energy and new ideas.

I feel like I'm constantly torn between two worlds."

Maggie looked at me and then shared this insight. "Sam, the words you use to describe your experience define your experience. You better come up with another word to describe how you feel, because that's how it's going to be."

Smart woman.

That night I couldn't sleep. If I wasn't conflicted, what was I? I kept mentally tasting words, experimenting with them to see if they captured the mix of emotions I felt. Finally it came to me.

The next day I tracked down Maggie. There she was down the hall. I ran up to her and said, "Maggie, I figured it out. I'm not conflicted, I'm … blessed. I'm not torn between two worlds, I have the best of both worlds.”

That describes how I feel now.

I've just had 16 months of glorious adventuring, exploring, discovering, reflecting, and “funning” on my Year by the Water. (If “funning” isn’t a verb, it deserves to be.)

Now I'm here in Boulder holding my beautiful baby granddaughter Natalia in my arms. This morning I was sitting on the floor and playing Lego's with my grandson Mateo.

Last night I was sitting on the couch with Tom and Patty getting caught up, and as they say in Hawaii, “talking story.”

The day before, I was making nutritious greenies, doing “folding laundry meditation, and enjoying Dolores' (Patty's Mom) delicious home-made cooking.

This morning, Mateo is playing airplane on his own private jungle gym, (his dad) and watching his favorite Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood with his mom. It feels oh-so-right.

I look around and realize I once again am blessed to have the best of both worlds … and I wouldn't rather be anywhere else. I'm immersing myself in this abundance - this state of SerenDestiny where the light is on in my eyes - and I'm imprinting every sacred moment. Receive, receive, receive. Revel, revel, revel.

BTW - This recognition that I'm not torn being two options (either-or); I have the best of both options (yes-and) is one of the most important lessons-learned from My Year by The Water. I'll be writing about the adventures that led to this understanding in my upcoming book "There Is No Present Like the Time" including:

It’s not CONTROL OR COOPERATE. It’s both.

It’s not PLAY OR PRODUCTIVITY. It’s both.

It’s not SOCIAL OR SOLITUDE. It’s both.

It’s not start with the END in mind or with an OPEN mind. It’s both.

It’s not serve others or your self. It’s both.

Next time you’re feeling as if you're being torn between two options – re-frame what you’re feeling or facing. Isn’t it an advantage to have an abundance of options – to have the best of both worlds? You're not conflicted, you're blessed.