My first aha moment of 2017!

For a fairly uneventful day I have had an absolutely amazingly eventful day!
I had planned to spend the last 24 hours before leaving for New Orleans preparing furiously , taking care of all of the last minute details I needed to take care of.
The only problem with that is that there is and was actually very little for me to prepare.
It's all a part of this whole process I have been experiencing of letting go.
I am reminded of a quote that one of my vendors and friends signs off with on his emails:
"Don't confuse motion with progress"
-Alfred A. Montapert-Running around like a whirling dervish constantly is not necessarily being productive.
When I coached football, I would often remind my middle line backer to just stand still at the snap of the ball and see how the play developed in front of him.Blindly charging off in a direction often leads to you being out of position to make a play.
As the centerpiece of the defense, his role was to communicate, to make sure every one knew where they should be and what they should be looking for as well as to pick up any tell tale signs as to what may be coming at them.
This is exactly the position I find myself in as I prepare for the Halloween show.Communicating with every one and preparing myself as best as possible to respond, not just react.
As I finished packing and gathering supplies for the trip, I had an aha moment.
I posed a question to a dear friend stating I wasn't sure if I was heading out alone possibly facing a twilight or was I in fact once again flying solo,buoyed by years of experience? The aha moment is that I am in fact experiencing the latter. Over the years I have led a contingent, a small army at times into this show. This often rag tag group were not exactly seasoned sales professionals. On the contrary, in almost ever case they all started out as green and as innocent as a new born. Walking into the show, they all experienced an overwhelming onslaught of people. The sheer magnitude of the show was almost impossible to comprehend. 
Most if not all of my troops had little if any sales experience. It was baptism under fire. I am sure each and every one of them had doubts as to how effective they might be. 
That is how they showed up. It is not how they left.Under my leadership and tutelage by the end of day 1 each and every one believed that they were the consummate professionals they were supposed to be.
I had some time to reflect on the dozens of young men and women who were part of the Vasa team at one time or another. Some I still see regularly. Some I run into every once in a while and others I get reports on or updates from.
The one common thread is that they all have grown up. They all have gone on to lead productive lives. And they all have continued on their own special Journey.
And I was a part of that. 
And that is a good thing.
That is a blessing!
The idea that I some how played a role in this process is a gift that can not be put into words.
This year I am going to the show solo. I will not be leading any troops into the battle of life.
Instead, I can take a moment and appreciate that the army that once was has gone on to create new armies and new opportunities and bring their own special gifts to the world.
It's a pretty special feeling!