If I receive one more cold outreach from a financial advisor suggesting I save, save, save and p-l-a-n my future – I just might vomit.  Yes, I said “vomit” in a professional blog.  Listen.  I get we need to be financially sound with our finances and planning is vital (in small doses), but in the last 12 months I’ve had too many friends and colleagues receive devastating news about their health (many are not even 40 years old).  While I’m confident these fighters will get past this rough season, the one consistent thing they speak about is to take the shot – don’t try and plan everything.  Go out on a limb and TAKE. MORE. RISKS.  And most importantly, be grateful for opportunities.  Opportunities to not only advance you professionally, but also opportunities to take in life’s simple things like kicking the ball with the kids for 30 minutes.  Those few minutes provide rejuvenation and give us a fresh perspective.  Those minutes in my life, are rarely ever planned.  However, I sure do take advantage of them and reap the benefits as a result.

My neighborhood community website is full of Starbuck haters.  Whenever a new location pops up, they call it SevenBucks.  I’m not prepared to get into a debate on whether chains or local coffee shops are the way to go – but I do always buy local when I can – and you will not hear me slam the deliciousness of a warm and cozy coconut milk Chai Tea Latte from Starbucks.  Life is over in the blink of an eye – buy the $7 latte.

As a working mother of three small children I get asked almost every week, how do you balance it all?  The answer is simple, I balance nothing.  Every day I try to master the art of juggling.  While I have a great tribe in my corner, juggling work and motherhood is nothing shy of amazing (well it is on the days I win at it – which isn’t every day).  Last week one colleague and I were instant messaging about how incredible it is to kiss the kiddos good-bye, fly out to pull off a top-notch marketing program while managing about 5 other things.  When we finally return home…. we find an empty fridge, about ten loads of laundry and school homework that needs addressing.  Yet somehow, in the twelve-hours we are home in between trips – we get the kids off to school with completed homework, fridge filled and joined 3 calls with our global team.  #winning #grateful

I am writing this blog on a plane to Calgary where I need to catch a connection to Europe, I can’t help but reflect on the items I am most grateful for. Especially the things I GET TO DO in the current season of my life.  For example, I am grateful I got to spend 30-minutes kicking the ball with my daughter last week. I think it might have been her first time kicking the ball back and forth in an open field with a warm breeze flowing through the air.  It is a privilege that I get to work with colleagues that challenge me (in a good way) often.

A recent YouTube video on defining moments really spoke to me.  The presenter shared that if we wait around to seek out the defining moments that shape us – we will be waiting forever.  Defining moments happen when we change things up.  When we take a risk, or make a gamble.  They come in the form of wins and misses.  The speaker goes on to express the importance of not telling the world you are doing something, but instead show them.  And if you fail in the moment, oh well, just try harder (I say learn from it and move on).  Take over your moments and opportunities will follow.  And for goodness sake, don’t be afraid to buy the over-priced latte, partake in winning moments with the kids, embrace quiet time and look up to see the random acts of kindness taking place all around us (they do exist).  A gamble not taken will likely turn into a regret 5, 10, 20 years down the road.  Roll the dice.