Birthday message on why I’m happy and successful

It’s my birthday and taking a few minutes to reflect and share of what I’ve learned this past year.

I’m lucky. I’m lucky that I grew up in Alaska, away from the violence of the “lower 48” (the continental USA).

I’m lucky I moved away from Alaska and starting meeting people different from me when I could handle it in my life.

I’m lucky that I had loving parents who cared about me.

I’m lucky that I had very little contact with “the system” and I came out independant thinking.

I’m lucky that I meet the most wonderful women and I am deeply in love.

I’m lucky.

But I’m lucky because I choose to do this.

I’m blessed because I want to be.

I choose to make the best of moving away from my homeland of Alaska.

I choose to start a software business at night and weekends while working at American Express. And even though I liked working at American Express at times I wanted my own thing and when I didn’t like working there anymore I quit and went full-time into selling software (mid 90’s). I wanted the flexibility and options of doing it big and going at my own much faster pace.

I choose to make the best of every situation and find the good in it.

I could have easily given up when I lost everything and moved in with my parents right before I turned 30. It sucked, I made the best of it. I choose to figure out what I did wrong and fix it. I never got a “job”. I never gave up.

It was my choice, nobody else’s.

So my advice for this year is choose wisely.