My boss passed by my office door last week, paused, and then walked in and said, “You know, Sean, you’re a cool person. I mean a really cool person.”

I’m not sure what inspired the comment, but at the moment she walked by, Greek folk music was on the speakers and I had just received a framed photograph — that was sitting on the floor — of a Tibetan monk reading scripture that was taken by a photographer I met in Cambodia. And, of course, I was probably smiling about something (the music, I think) 🙂

I’ve been thinking about this a lot recently, and if someone asked, “Are you happy, Sean?” my answer would be a resounding yes. And if someone asked, “Are you happy with the person you’ve become?” the answer is absolutely.

So in an effort to embrace the person that I am, I offer a list of things that are unique (or not so unique, depending on who you know) about me.

• I rarely listen to music with English lyrics.
• I carry my lunch containers back home with me to make sure they get recycled, but not until I’ve corralled everyone else in the office’s recyclable lunch containers, too.
• I love making people smile and laugh — it’s something I’ve loved doing since I can remember.
• At the age of 35, I still cut out pictures of international destinations from National Geographic and put them on the bulletin board over my desk.
• I seem to always find the positive in a situation, even the pretty bad ones.
• I make a point of trying to always learn from my mistakes.

So does this make me a “soft” person? Do I have to be a negative, nasty, aggressive person to succeed professionally? These are the things I think about, which is, after all, the whole point of this blog.

Peace.