July 26th was my official birthday but the wishes keep coming in, which has really been nice. Thank you everyone for all the birthday wishes and making turning 40 special. I started to examine my past 40 years and how to really sum “me” up at this point in my life journey.
The other day, someone asked me if I could sum up who I was in a short few sentences. That is such a deep request in the early hours of the morning, don’t you think? But, it made me think. Here is what I came up with:
To know me, Sam Glenn, is to know I love laughing, family and friends, fishing, Wheel of Fortune, God, fiber and giving inspirational speeches. My favorite sound is the ocean. My favorite word is “YES!” My most embarrassing moment…well…there are like 100 competing for #1 in this category! What I am most grateful for: Every day. My long-time dream: To be a best -selling author. How I want to be remembered: Happy and Joyful. My pet peeves: Rude people and dishonesty. My daily challenge: A.D.D. My most memorable moment speaking: When I first started speaking 14 years ago, I gave a speech that I thought was just awful. The crowd did not respond well. I was new in my profession and clueless, but I tried and gave my all. I remember a young girl coming up to me afterwards showing me scars on her wrists and how she had attempted to take her life several times, and how she had been thinking about it for the past few days, but for the first time, she felt inspired. My words had given her new life and she didn’t want to die, but rather live. What I thought was junk, God turned into art.
So why I am I sharing all this? You now know me a little better, but how well do you know yourself?
1) When you know yourself better, it gives you perspective of where you have been and who you have become on life’s journey. Getting to know yourself better can mean facing some not-so-great qualities that you could have picked up along the way, but the plus is gaining that knowledge so you can do something about it instead of living another 10 to 20 years doing something that hasn’t worked for you in the past.
2) Getting to know yourself opens the mental door to see how amazing a person you are. I meet more people who put themselves down rather than own the greatness that is within them. Maybe you failed, flopped, or someone put you down along the way. It doesn’t mean you have to keep subscribing to believing you’re a bad person or a flop. I bet if you took the time to get to know yourself, you might impress yourself.
3) Getting to know yourself helps you identify what great things you have accomplished and what things you still want to do with your remaining time on earth. The mind, body and soul need direction–and having goals gives the mind, body and soul instruction to move towards your heart’s ambition.
4) Getting to know yourself can help you understand why you do the things that you do. I have A.D.D. (attention deficit disorder), and one of the things an A.D.D.er will do is make choices without really thinking them through – the consequences. Because I know this, I can understand my behavior at times and have the awareness that when my behavior is such, I can actually intervene and stop myself from doing something that isn’t good for me.
5) Getting to know yourself is an awesome experience. As I got to know myself a little better, I began to like myself more. I have always been the toughest critic on myself, and because of getting to know me, I haven’t beat myself as much–but have actually been nicer to myself. I know that seems like a weird thing to say to some, but I am being honest when I say that. I think when we are nicer to ourselves, we begin to act like young kids who were just encouraged and inspired. Or at least that is how I feel.
6) Getting to know yourself allows you to admit the lessons that life has taught you. Perhaps a relationship didn’t go well; what did the lesson teach you? Are you using the wisdom, or just sitting on it? Maybe you have been with a company for 20 years, and you can ask yourself, “What have I learned in the process of that journey?” The lessons we learn help define our path.
Take the time to get to know yourself better by asking yourself questions. And don’t be afraid of being real with yourself. Maybe there are things you need to forgive yourself for. The experience of getting to know yourself will give you awareness of some things you can change to better yourself. The experience is different for everyone. For me, it was refreshing and eye opening.
What have you learned as you have gotten to know yourself? What do you want to learn?
p.s. A big happy birthday to Sam from his staff!
Hey- congratulations on 40 years of wisdom! Enjoy the birthday.
Sam, reading this on this hot and muggy morning just gave me some clarity. I too, am turning 40 in 8 short weeks and have been silently questioning myself (who am I? why do I do what I do? do I really know why I am here? etc) I DO know myself, I need only be who I am, and my journey includes helping others along the way AND bringing in as much laughter as my ribs can handle. Thank you for sharing your challenges and triumphs along your own journey. Happy travels, Sam Glenn, happy travels. ~Kim
Sam:
You celebrated your actual birthday with all of us at the IAAP Conference in Montreal and you were truly a wonderful inspiration. You made us laugh so hard and you made us know it is OK to laugh at ourselves sometimes.
Thanks for all you did.
It’s my birthday today, and I’ve been going through such a rough patch lately, and this was just remarkably helpful! Thanks, and happy birthday!
Happy birthday, Shae!
I had a great time with your group! Thanks for listening and laughing!!
Thanks for sharing, Kim, I think it’s great you are asking yourself these questions!
Thanks Wendy!
Happy Birthday Sam !!! We were blessed to have you celebrate your actual birthday with us in Montreal at our Education Forum and Annual Meeting. What an inspiration (and funny man) you are. The chalk painting was phenomenal. I also had the greatest privilege to auction it off just before our banquet. What a wonderful, lasting, reminder to us to “shine our beacon of light” unto others and be that “lighthouse” to those who are ‘lost at sea’ in the daily trappings of life. THANK YOU !!!
I recently had an opportunity that caused me to reflect on myself much like what you are talking about. I went to a job interview and the employer started asking me about myself and my family. As I told him about my dear husband, our 6 children and 9 grandchildren it came out of my mouth that that was the resume that really meant most to me. As I went through the rest of the day, I began to really reflect on what my “personal” resume would look like if completed to this point in my life. I have to say, no matter how down I felt about myself, looking at a personal resume helped me to see and feel my worth. It’s not about where I live and what I have, it is about who I am and who I have served. My resume is about a person of virtue and integrity, on who is honest and loving. A person who serves others and loves unconditionally. One who has always worked to lift and comfort another. I hope at the end of my life that my resume reflects the person I am striving to be.
Thanks for sharing , belated happy birthday ,
I am turning 40 in a couple of months, and have really been thinking about my life. I am a failure in my career. Mostly due to the economy (laid off, had to take a lower level job), and it’s totally depressing. And then I thought, if I’m going to be a failure in my career, I can at least not be a failure as a parent and wife, and have been determined to spend my weekends enjoying my children, and not just cleaning my house. Instead of lamenting that I don’t have the money to do what we used to do, I can take them hiking or to the community pool on the cheap, and they will enjoy it just as much as Disneyland because we’ll be having fun together while they still want to hang around with me.
happy birthday Sam.encouraged by your articles.You are blessed to be a blessing.
Happy Belated Birthday, Sam!
I love that you wrote about seeing what an amazing person you are…it is so easily missed. We forget that we are much more than we give ourself credit for and that life is a miracle in of itself. Greatness resides in each and everyone of us and taking the time to know that personally turns life into a blessing.
Happy Birthday late! You are so funny and I really enjoy you.
I’ve heard that age 40 is the beginning of reality in one’s life.
God Bless you Sammy.
Congrats on th 40th! Wow awesome!
Sam,
It was so good to have you come speak at our pre-service for Head Start last week in Martin, TN. You hit on alot of subjects I felt our group/staff needed to hear. Laughter and humor in the work place is needed to run an already stressfull agency. Let’s just say before I already found out I was sick with a terminal cancer I was the one in the office making jokes and cutting up but now more than ever I am stressing the importance for laughter. Life is way to short and hate to see us drowning in seriousness 24/7. And how ironic that our birthdays our on the same day and I turned 40 this year too. The ladies in the office said that figures beings that you and I have the same bouncy, humor about life. Again, thanks Sam!
Judie Minga