“In life, finding a voice is speaking and living the truth. Each of you is an original. Each of you has a distinctive voice. When you find it, your story will be told. You will be heard.”
― John Grisham
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| My travels of 2012 |
The best year of my LIFE...so far is what I will remember about 2012. This is the breakthrough year that I have prayed for and to see it unfold was an incredible experience. It was quite surreal to experience things firsthand that I have only seen in pictures like:
- Seeing the twinkling lights of the Eiffle Tower at night
- Standing in St. Peter's Square with my lovey
- Taking a deep breath inside the Sistine Chapel
- Burning my feet in the sand of Ipanema Beach
- Looking up at the Pearl Tower
- Looking down at Rio from Christ the Redeemer
- Posing on the Great Wall
- Taking a picture on bridge with two of the best friends I made this year in an Eastern European city (Prague) that I never thought I would visit
What a breakthrough indeed, especially since I have never been outside of the country before the beginning of this year. However, this year wasn't all excitement and adventure. I did have to perform in graduate school during all this traveling. Education was always a top priority in my life and one that I excelled in, but doing it in the midst of travel and living in unfamiliar territory was a new challenge for me. A challenge that taught me some valuable lessons and made me a much tougher person. Lessons on work/life balance and relationships also made this year as much about becoming a better man as getting an education and traveling.
So now what? How do you follow up a year like this one? By having another breakthrough year!!! I was tempted to end this year and experience by being a little let down that the whirlwind Global Partners MBA experience was over. Then I realized that this is just the beginning. I just turned 32, have multiple degrees and a world in front of me waiting to be explored. I still believe as most do when they are kids that the sky is the limit...with the proper amount of hard work and determination of course. This isn't the end of something, but the beginning. That is the attitude I will take into the new year. Of course there will be hard and broke times, but hard times and financial hardship just make me stronger, wiser and more grateful so BRING IT! On the other side I hope to find myself a stronger, more intelligent, disciplined and ambitious man.
But for now Happy New Year and may what I come to remember about 2012 is that it is 2nd only to what I experienced in this coming year.
It's hard to believe that it is has been 14 months, 3 continents, 6 countries and countless assignments since I started the Global Partners program. The first day that I walked into the Buckhead Center full of excitement and anxiety seems like yesterday. The world looked a lot bigger and more intimidating that first day than it does now; one year older and on the verge of graduation in a few hours. This past year has truly been the best of my life and this week is a culmination of more than 14 months of work and perseverance.
This year has been one of the most unique experiences anyone can have filled with highs, lows, the brightest nights and darkest days that I have ever had. The memories that I have of all the good times with my Global Partners family will be cherished for the rest of my life. Now a new phase of my life is beginning and while it may not include weekend excursions to Brazilian beach towns, I do have a lot to be enthusiastic about. So today I will walk across the stage, reminisce with my friends, enjoy this time with my family and next week it's time to go create my destiny and embrace the future.
