Do the right thing, the right way, for the right reasons.

October 2nd was such a lovely day. Besides the fact that it was my birthday, it was cold (my favorite kind of weather) and the day was full of smiles and friends. I ate lots of sugar and was quite happy.
Aside from my digression, the speaker at forum also contributed to my wonderful day. He has definitely been my favorite thus far. Yes, he is the CEO of a hospital, which obviously appeals to me because of the profession I want to pursue, but I also admired him as a person, as well as his decisions in life. I like the way he told us his story. He was very real and presented his values in a way where we could see them without him ever actually having to say them. He is a respectable person, in every aspect of the word. I respect the way he runs his hospital and hopefully can one day work for him, or have an opportunity to observe. He emphasized that we need to take care of ourselves. We need to decide what we want to do, make a plan, and do it. I really liked the metaphor he used of aviation. Sometimes we will experience turbulence, we might have to make a stop along the way, and the destination may be farther than we expected. However, with determination we will get there. This made me feel very good. I have not always been the smartest or most talented. But, I have a plan and a will. That drive has fueld many of my decsions, such as Mr. Berry, and has given me hope for my future.
He alluded to Walt Disney, to which he recieves many brownie points for that, saying. "If you can dream it, you can do it." I have some big plans for mysef in the future, some of which including international efforts, most of which my family has nevers supported. However, that will not stop me. In fact, I look forward to the journey that will get me to where I am going.
His mission statement is something I admire and that I hope to adopt in my own life some way:
Faith
Family
Career
Community
In that order..
Of course I am not in the same place he is in life, but I feel like this can still apply to me. In the very least, it motivates me to come up with my own and life by it. Maybe once I come up with that, it will help answer the questions I have posed about myself in previous blogs. There we go! So, I just have to come up with a mission statement for Anna Goggans to live by and make decisions from. Okay, I can do that. I'll get back to you when I have made my final copy.
He also used a metaphor of a sack. He used imagery of a person walking carrying a sack on their back and every bad decision was like adding a brick to that sack. I hope that my sack never gets too heavy to hinder my goals and dreams. Of course, I am not going to say I do not already have bricks. We all have them. We have all made bad decisions at some point. However, I am not going to let that weigh me down.
Mr. Berry gave me lots of great advice, as well as expressing the values he exhibits in his workplace and life. He gave me hope and motivation to keep going and strive for the best. He reminded me of why it is important to work hard and not take anything for granted. I am one of the luckiest people in the world. I have a God that loves me, a country I can be free in, and parents that support and nuture me.
I have a plan. I am ready to execute it. The journey is already in motion.