Jessica Soroky continues her series Leadership is a Choice.

My head isn’t clear, it’s almost as cloudy as the giant sea of white that hovers thousands of feet below me as I write this.

I tried to write about it, to get it onto paper so I could see what is bothering me but I’m only kidding myself, I know what’s got my head in a fog. My ego is pissed off and she is a mean one when she gets riled up.

Since writing about the thing that infuriated me didn’t work I am going to try a new approach. I am going to write an entire blog of gratitude, because you know what? My life isn’t actually all that bad, so this airplane tray table, my trusty laptop, and my playlist are going to get me through this.

I believe focusing on the good, the great, and all that I am thankful for will be a much more powerful way of letting go of the one thing that is poking at my ego.

…

I can’t describe how thankful I am for all the hard work that has taken place over the past couple years that made it possible for me to be sitting next to the love of my life on an airplane carrying us safely home from our paradise getaway.

I am thankful even more for the person sitting next me for his immense courage and display of personal choice in an attempt to make his life what he has always wanted. The way he calms me and makes the darkest of days bright is something I have never experienced before.

Yep – I can feel it – its working, my chest is less tense and my mind is already starting to smile again.

I am thankful for Christopher for bringing this transformative material to the attention of thousands and catching me in that net. Your unwavering support has always been such a motivator.

I am so very thankful for this platform to release my mind, stretch my writing muscles and share my wins, failures, and lessons with anyone willing to read.

I can’t mention my blogs without mentioning just how thankful I am for John Avery for always sharpening my voice with his wonderful edits.

– Whew this is addicting – so many things in life to be grateful for yet it is so much easier to get wrapped up in the tiniest thing that upsets us.

I am so thankful for the work I get to do every single day. I get to wake up every morning and do what I want to do, what I love to do. No career is without frustrations and mine is no exception, but the rewards, the wins, far outweigh all the aggravations.

My gratitude goes even deeper for the people that I get to spend each and every workday with. They share their lives, their passions, and the things that motivate them with me. They allow me to fail with them, to win with them, and most importantly of all they allow me to grow with them.

I am thankful I was introduced to a process and a way of working at the exact same time I was introduced to personal responsibility, freedom, and choice so that they would forever be united. Every chance I get I will pass this wonderful gift forward. Do you want great agile teams? Teach them how to be personally responsible, how to work together in this practice and then teach them the new process by which to carry out their work.

I am thankful for the difficulties life has brought and I am certainly thankful for those still to come. It is through those hard and painful trials that we learn the most about ourselves and truly transform. Life gets really interesting when you don’t stop because things aren’t easy anymore. – I will be grateful for that lesson to my very last breath.

Speaking of breaths, I am endlessly thankful for Linda for keeping everyone so in tune with what was happening with a man that fills so many lives with his brilliance. I know without a doubt I am truly limitless because of this man’s teachings and guidance. Each and every day I wake up working for my purpose because of him. Gratitude isn’t a powerful enough word to describe the feeling I have knowing he is home safe and healing.

A final moment of thankfulness goes to my parents. The two people that have never once doubted me even when I said I was dropping out of school to go after a career in Agile – they may have asked “what the h**l is that?” a few times but that just made me grateful for the opportunity to practice explaining it. They showed me what it meant to work for the things you want in life and to never give up no matter how tough the road gets.

Whoops – forgot one thank you. This one goes to the person who hit the trigger in my ego that incensed me to the point I decided the only way to let it go was to practice saying “thank you”.

There are so many wonders in the world… My intention is to focus more and more on the things that bring me fulfillment, happiness and an urge to say “Thank you”.

Just now as I close this blog from my airplane seat, I look to one side of me and see the sun hitting his face in such a perfect way that when he notices me looking and smiles it takes my breath away.

To the other side of me a vast ocean spreads in all directions as I am reminded just how big is this beautiful planet we call home.

When you find yourself angered, frustrated, or your is ego bruised take my word for it – gratitude is a much more fulfilling to focus on. When you are done take a deep breath and really feel the air fill your lungs and the weight on your chest lift – wow I am so thankful for the power of letting go!

Jessica Soroky, CSM

Jessica is a Certified Scrum Master with over three years of practice in agile delivery and seven years of team leadership. She is also the youngest participant in The Leadership Gift™ Program and its growing worldwide community of leaders and coaches. After five years of nonprofit development through Nellie’s Catwalk for Kids, Jessica continues her leadership journey in state government, not-for-profit, and private sector leadership studies.