So Damn Lucky

I post this video for the Dave Matthew's Band's So Damn Lucky at year's end for three distinct reasons.

1. The title perfectly describes how I'm feeling nowadays. I have a great family including a beautiful baby boy and wonderful wife, terrific friends and teammates, and I love the work I do with City Coach, JackRabbit and Nike Run NYC. Asking for more would be plain greedy.
2. In many ways, I am like Dave Matthews. Allow me to explain. Dave gets a lot of the credit for leading an successful and popular band. No doubt, he is an integral part of the group and helps hold everything together. But let's not pretend that he's the most talented one there. He has assembled an amazing group of musicians - some of whom are virtuosos, and others who are just perfect for that ensemble - into a group that is greater than the sum of their parts. While Dave may be the nominal leader of the group, and the one who gets the most attention, he benefits from the talent of those around him. They complement him when he's on, and they pick him up when he's off his game. (For instance, his voice is shot in this recording, but the band is on point, and no one in the audience minded.) And clearly he loves what he does. Similarly, I have been lucky enough to surround myself (past and present) with colleagues who help me do my job, and athletes who make me look good and allow me to do something that I enjoy so much. I hope that I bring something to the table, but I'm not arrogant enough to believe that the success of the brand or team would happen if I didn't have an awesome group of co-workers, clients and athletes around me. (My old music teacher and mentor, Sam Ulano, used to tell me it's easy to be a good teacher when you have good students.
3. I love the song.

I wish all my friends, family, athletes and colleagues a healthy and happy 2012.