A good friend of mine let me in on a little secret about “me,” – he said, and I quote, “you’ve always been a ‘we’ person, don’t you think it’s time to start being a ‘me’ person?”

Though his question was directed in a positive vein, and meant more than anything to help me achieve some inspiration for myself, the deeper crux of that one little question began to plague me – and a rush of memories both personal and professional, jumped into my inner core.

And try as I might to find those moments of undertaking where being a team player should have been more than enough, I began to second guess what I just may have been missing out on.  And wondering even more so, is it ever too late to change?

So I embarked on what has become an eight-month journey – a journey that didn’t reduce my involvement with others, but more so, allowed me to come back to being “me.” This new notion allowed me the time to enlist the things that “I” enjoy doing and even finding new passions that make me feel good — permitting me to be a better “We.”

My work travels now included a day or two extra reconnecting in person with friends from afar; and my daily routine at home grew to include the healthy outdoor moments that I had all but forgotten — with daily 3.2 walks in the hills, weekly hiking, golf and tennis too — as well as the much needed gab-fests with my besties over sake and sushi, and winebars and tapas too — I even took on yoga to unleash the spiritual gangster in me!

And here’s what I’ve found…

“There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don’t. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.”

For me, that includes the “me time,” but it’s also growing my inner world.  I’ve expanded on the places I want to be, including the folks that I want to see, and making the most of working on me…I haven’t stopped being a team player, but I’ve learned that the better I feel about little ole me, the more I can contribute to the team.

So I’m thanking my friend for putting me on this journey, but letting him know that for me, he’s only kind of right.  I can change and incorporate more into my life, but I don’t think I’m ever going to give up the sharing and the “we,” because that in itself is what helps me be me.

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