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John DeMato Blog

Hi! I'm John. In my blog, I share insights that help Speakers and Expert-based Business Owners create an emotional connection with their audiences through persuasive visual storytelling.

An attitude of birthday gratitude

 

An attitude of gratitude helps to keep you moving forward…

 
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...especially when it’s your birthday, :)

 

Today, I woke up and 42 smacked me clear across the face and woke me right up. 

…goof lord, I’m getting to the age where I should stop sharing my age...

Out of all of them, this has to be the weirdest one of them all by a country mile. 

Earlier this year, there were a couple days where I didn’t think I was going to make it to August thanks to that son of a bitch of a bug that’s wreaking havoc on all of our lives. 

But, I’m far too much of a stubborn, pain in the ass to be taken out by it, let’s be honest. 

Regardless, today is not going to be spent bitching and moaning about the massive challenges we’re all facing right now. 

Nope, today is all about gratitude. 

And despite the sideways, upside down world we’re all bobbing and weaving through right now, I have so much to be grateful for in my life. 

First, I’m grateful for my friends and family who helped me when Covid knocked me on my ass and I couldn’t even walk up a flight of stairs without an oxygen tank and an assistant to carry my stuff for me. 

I’m also grateful to those who checked on me through phone calls, text messages and emails day-after-day to make sure I was okay and had everything I needed. 

You really learn who has your back the moment shit hits the fan, and I am fortunate to say that I’m surrounded by a slew of pretty amazing people. 

I get emotional just thinking about it - but I’ve cried enough the past couple months, so we’ll go ahead and fast-forward past that for now, :)

Next, I’m grateful for the 100+ human beings who thought that it was a smart investment to hire me to capture their Zoom presentations.

Quite frankly, I really don’t know where my business would be right now without all of you finding value in these photos. Actually, I do know - struggling to find another alternative to keep the lights on in my apartment. 

Even though I’ve shot a ton of these keynotes, webinars, intensives, summits, panels and fireside chats, I still can’t believe this has become a thing - a valuable thing, at that. 

I’m so grateful I found a way to be useful to my people during this crazy time, I can’t literally say thank you enough. 

Next on the list - I’m grateful for the future. 

Yeah, we have no idea what is in store for us individually, or as a nation, but the opportunity for something magical is alive and well. 

Rather than bemoan the world in its current state (which I’m really good at, by the way), I look forward with imagination and curiosity and know that as long as I’m surrounded by good people, good things will happen no matter what. 

Is it easy to always have this perspective? Absolutely not - I’m battling it all the time. But, it’s a worthy battle because hoping for better is a powerful motivator to tay the course.

And lastly, I’m grateful for you - the readers.

To this day, when I receive a comment on my posts or get an email thanking me for sharing whatever article to which they’re referring, I get excited. 

It makes me smile knowing that in one way, shape or form, the wild meanderings of my mind shared through this blog resonates with some folks.

And that’s a pretty magical thing, if you ask me, :) 

#yeahabsolutely

What about you? 

What are you grateful for right now? What’s going right in your life? Who is your support system in light of everything? 

Please share in the comment section below.

PS - While you do that, I’m gonna celebrate my special lil’ day by getting drunk and yell at people who aren’t wearing masks on the street as a gift to myself (I’m kidding, folks, lol)!