For twenty-five years I have worked in the field of athletics, loving the experience of helping, caring about, and rooting for all those I have met. Interestingly enough, the people in athletics have led me to other people, outside of sports.
While continuing to work in athletics, I expanded into the business arena, sharing what I was learning about teamwork and achieving success-and the overlooked importance of emotional fulfillment. It was easy to see how similar individuals, partnerships, and management teams were to athletes, coaches and teams. They all needed to learn how to focus, work in harmony within themselves and each other, acquire certain techniques and succeed. Perhaps most apparent was how many needed to enjoy themselves more, allowing their individual talents to further emerge and their relationships to grow closer.
Over the years one thing becomes clearer: all of us can have what we want. We simply need to be willing to go after it and learn how to unlock ourselves, for we hold the keys to our dreams, though so many doubt that. I know I did for many years.
I have been fortunate in having had friends and teachers who have loved me and helped me learn to discover myself-and that self-discovery and growth is an ongoing journey-not a band-aid approach to fixing a problem. I also learned that my growth as an adult man was measured, not only by my creativity and productivity, but also by my willingness to love and care more deeply about those around me.
It was eye-opening to discover that "being productive" actually included growing and changing emotionally, which dispelled my tightly-held adolescent myths of manhood. In effect, I discovered that adulthood was far different than I was taught and blindly believed. It is much more real, more vibrant and alive, and full of an ever-growing and deepening sense of happiness, fascination and wonder.
This awareness, that there is such potential for all of us, has led me to the kind of work I do.
Christopher Andersonn
