Values of the Month: Adventuresomeness and Appreciation

Our value for 2012 is Adventuresomeness, and it seemed appropriate to make that the value of the month since we are in Utah training and racing. But once our trip got underway, I realized that we need to add Appreciation, because an adventure without appreciation for all we are doing and seeing just does not tap into the essence of the experience. Appreciation is one of those values my kids love to talk about, but have trouble living. In fact, I think appreciation gives us all a lot of trouble. We tell people we love them and appreciate them, but living a truly appreciative life is difficult. When we are busy or irritated or tired, we tend to loose sight of all we have to appreciate. This weekend, we got a dose of appreciation, which unfortunately often comes about because of a tragedy. One of the runners traveling to the 50k was killed in a car accident. We all ran with blue ribbons to celebrate his life, and to remember him on the run. I had never met him, but his loss really affected me. Toward the end of the race, when the pain set in, I found myself telling my mind to simply appreciate the fact that I was able to run that day. I recently took the kids to see The Lorax movie, which I highly recommend. It is a great story and leads to all kinds of discussions about appreciation: of the environment, of family and friends, of animals and nature. So, if you are following the values on the blog, good luck with appreciation. I think the best way to ingrain it into your children's psyches is simply to take moment over a meal or in the car enroute to school, to talk about something you appreciate that day. Many of the great mentors and success giants, like Darren Hardy, recommend book ending your day with a few thoughts about what you appreciate from that day. If you lead, your children will follow and absorb more than you realize.