I was listening to a Podcast recently and the host of the show, (sorry, I can’t remember which one it was), asked the audience to really think about who we are. I thought it was a pretty stupid question until I did it.

Who am I? First off I would say I’m broken.  I screw Stuff up all the time, say the wrong thing, don’t say the right thing, and fall short of being who I really want to be on a daily basis. But I think I am not a lot different than most of you; our negative self-talk has a tendency to play a dominant role in our heads. After that was over, I got to the good stuff.

I’m a guy that puts my faith in God above all else. I love and cherish my wife and try to make her FEEL THAT every day. I look at my role as a father as one of the most important jobs I have.  I try hard to make sure they have a friend when they want one so we can have a blast together as we roll through life, but also to be a boot in their ass when they need it. Being a great son and brother is important to me so showing my family that they always have someone they can turn to is a big deal. Friendships mean a lot so when it comes to that I aspire to be the kind of friend I value most. Unselfish, supportive, honest, empathetic, genuine, and always willing to hug it out when the time comes.  When it comes to work I want to be successful but I also want to enjoy the ride at the same time. I love my career and don’t do any of it for the money. Never have, never will. I take writing this blog and doing the Dos Marcos podcast with my great friend Mark Kinsley seriously, and hope that we put content out there that connects with you, inspires you, and hopefully makes you laugh every now and then.

Finally, at the core of who I am there is a profound sense of gratitude. Not just for everything I mention above, but I’m Grateful for the pain I have experienced in the last few years because I know that it shapes me. I’m grateful for some things taking longer than they should because it teaches me patience. For the charities that I’m involved with because they reveal a much more difficult side of life like when I spend time with people that are surviving pancreatic cancer, battling addiction or living on the streets without a place to sleep at night. Perspective is a good thing. I’m grateful for being grateful because there’s joy in that.

From my family to yours I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope that you take some time to maybe even write something like this for yourselves because when you finish, you will feel what I am feeling right now.

“Remember, being grateful doesn’t mean you have it all, it simply means your thankful for all you have.” Unknown

Know that I’m grateful for you. Thanks for reading Q’s Views!