“There are good ships, there are wood ships, there are ships that sail the sea. But the best ships are friendships, and may they always be”. An Irish Proverb
During the Christmas and Holiday season, many of us are inundated with requests to make a list of all those things we want but often don’t find the time to reflect on the things that we really need. As I begin my Self-Assessment for 2019 (my Personal SWOT Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) and set my SMART Goals for 2020 (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound), I find myself reflecting on that beautiful Irish proverb mentioned above and how grateful I am for that precious gift called friendship and the powerful role it plays during our journey:
- Friendships that develop at the beginning of your life and become stronger through the test of time and circumstance. THANK YOU!
- Friendships that surprise you with their loving presence especially in those difficult moments of life and career when we need them the most. THANK YOU!
- Friendships born throughout our careers and the unselfish and generous mentorship given to us as we navigate new positions and/or moved to new companies. THANK YOU!
- Friendships born and nurtured in the different communities we have lived in and enhanced by the common experience of sharing a meal together, becoming parents, coaching our children’s teams, and getting involved in our faith-based and other community activities, all of which we download on our personal USB drive so we can take all those cherished moments with with us no matter what neighborhood we may reside in for the future. THANK YOU!
- And, friendships that you could never imagine in those earlier periods of your life but when your empty nest finally arrives and you wonder where the road may now take you, new friends suddenly appear and then take you by your hand and help you move on to your next chapter and let you see beautiful things you never saw before. THANK YOU!
This Christmas and Holiday season, I have never been more grateful for the friends that I am blessed to have in my life. It’s a long list of my best ships and better than I deserve and I am more excited than ever to see what new ships may come along my way and help me sail to that next destination. My friends, like the Irish proverb says, “may they always be.” I hope that you too can make a list of those best ships in your life. Be grateful for them and let them know how much you love them. And, be ready to welcome the new ships at your port — they just might change your life and take you to new places you never dreamed of.
Happy sailing to all my fellow coaches, colleagues, and friends, Dr. K ⛵️
