This post was written enroute to Skip Winter Conference — A little conference that almost didn’t happen. (I’ll write about that in a few days).
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I write this as I sit on the plane, enroute to join 10 close friends in Mexico.
The sound of laughter is resonating from the seats in front of me.
My friends Jenny Blake and Allie Mahler are giggling about something in a magazine.
I assume the magazine is Cosmo, but it very well could have been the economist. Those two are smart cookies. 
As I gaze through the small slot between their seats — it hits me — this is what life is about.
Right then and there, somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean I was able to see what is truly important in life.
Stunned, I start typing in an effort to record the thoughts that were flying through my head.
I created a simple document to jot down the key elements I had just identified that were special about that moment.
Here is the list:
The Most Important Things in Life
- Deep Connections with Family and Friends
- Unique Experiences
- Continuous Growth
- Leaving a Legacy
The Keys to Happiness
Cliff Jumping during the 'Chasing Happiness' years.
Immediately, I begin to sift through my ancient documents and stumble upon my original list titled “Keys to Happiness.”
I quickly opened the document and instantly I am taken back to the blue glow of my college computer and my “ramen profitable” dinner of two PB&J’s and a protein shake.
During this time, I remember being immensely unhappy and I wanted that to change… badly.
I as I wrote the first list, I promised myself that from there on out, I would only focus on what made me happy.
Not money, not fame, not what other people wanted, but happiness.
I remember feeling like it was time for a reinvention… and it was.
The following years after writing the initial list where just that… a massive reinvention or series of reinventions that brought me to where I am today.
I call those years the “Chasing Happiness” years and will probably write about them at some point.
(The photo above is from those years. The idea of “Cliff Jumping” means a lot to me both figuratively and metaphorically and it’s cool to have a picture of me jumping off one of my highest cliffs ever.)
What’s Changed: A Focus on Legacy
With the hum of the jet engine roaring over my headphones, I compared my newly written list with the original list.
I quickly realized all of the key elements were exactly the same except the last one.
“Leaving a Legacy”
Shocked, I reread this line over and over as I reflected on all that had happened since college.
As I sit here over 30,000 feet in the air, I am left with the scary feeling that a BIG change is on it’s way.
There may be some turbulence and some times of doubt but deep down I think a shift has happened.
Just as the years after the first list where focused on happiness, I can see that the years to come will be focused on the important things in life such as legacy.
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#0F
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