Good morning, Team!  It’s Friday!

I was in Portland, OR last weekend to visit my daughter Aarika.  She now works for Nike on their global campus and I was fortunate to get a walking tour of the impressive site.  Along with stunning architecture and inspirational statements like above, the entire site is masterfully woven between the natural beauty that is Oregon.

My first goal in making the trip was to see Aarika in her new element and make certain for myself that she was happy.  The career move was exciting for her and she loves her new digs downtown in a LEED platinum building.  She has done well and I am proud of her and excited to see what comes next.

I was also fortunate to see my former business partner Tammy and her spouse for breakfast to catch up and reminisce.  The whole trip filled my bucket, sharpened my saw and allowed me to gather beauty and inspiration.

We went to Multnoma falls, stopped at a viewing point for the Columbia river and found a few establishments to enjoy some wine and tasty treats.

The beauty was overwhelming!  The inspiration was moving and the unspoken lessons on how to coexist were powerful.

If you’ve been reading between the lines, I’ve been searching for life-work-harmony for as long as I can remember.  Just recently was I able to articulate what it was and now I enjoy finding it and writing about it.

Here’s my latest take as I continue to calibrate my thoughts around work and family and self and life.  The writing on the bench up top, on the Nike campus reads, “Believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything”.

I believe in lots of things:

•God

•Humanity

•Love

I think I’ve sacrificed a lot:

•Family time (for career)

•Self (for family)

•Career (for the greater good)

There were tons of more photo opportunities in Oregon than I shared here but the inspirational quote that resonated for me was the power of faith and sacrifice.

Each of us makes choices every day that impact the harmony in our lives.  Most of the time, I have noticed, more impetuous than deliberate.

My challenge to each of you is to be more mindful of the choices going forward.  Ask yourself, “At what cost?”  Is it critical to sacrifice everything?  Can you accomplish what you long for without impacting all you’ve worked for?

Have a blessed weekend!