My Morning Mission Statement

You're Golden

Catherine Calia shared the Japanese concept of Kintsugi with me yesterday. Take something broken, repair it with gold, and suddenly it becomes more beautiful, valuable, and stronger than it was before its breaking point.

For anyone hitting a rough spot in their personal or professional lives, the art of Kintsugi can be a metaphor to help you seek out the golden knowledge  and actions needed to forge forward into your strongest self.

Give yourself the courage to create the work of art you wish to be.

A Traveler's Perspective

After spending one month in Thailand, one week in Malaysia, and one week in Japan, I am reinforcing a very simple realization about myself: I am an incredibly lucky person.

Many of my days were spent in temples contemplating peace and my own spirituality. Concepts of collectivism drew me in like a child who never experienced a hug before.

Good deeds -- sharing flowers from the local market, bestowing self-esteem through conversation, and simply listening to and acknowledging others' perspectives -- kept me thriving during the unplanned journey.

Since I've also been training for the San Diego Marathon, I'd merge the chore of long runs with longings for adventure taking off in a direction of my choosing for up to 12 miles at a time. You can see so much of the world with just yourself and a pair of running shoes.

Experiencing the longboat village off of one white sand beach in Southern Thailand renewed my sense of appreciation for voluntary simplicity. All we really need is a roof over our head when the weather is bad and food in our bellies, plus a few other critical staples for life. Water and love are high on this list.

I'm reminded of Pauli, who I met while traveling in Iceland many years ago.
I'm also reminded of Lisa Saeboe, who shared my passion for the color purple.
Most importantly, I had a reminder of the me outside of constant stress.