What do I do to enjoy life?

A question people ask me all the time is what do I do to relax or have fun? For me, it's just having time off, period. For anyone who reads my blog or follows my travels on Twitter and Facebook, they know my time off is very limited, so I'm super excited that my family is coming to visit me in Los Angeles this week. That, to me, is what brings me joy: spending time with the people I really care about.

In my personal life, I like to keep things simple. With my mom, dad and brother coming to LA, of course I'll give them a taste of Hollywood showing them the sights, but most importantly, the time will be spent at home, going to dinner and then we're off to Las Vegas because my dad loves Vegas. I'm really really excited because downtime is the best time for me. That sort of just 'stopping and breathing' is few and far between for me, so this is going to be a great seven days of really enjoying my time with the people I care about.

Years ago, I was walking through the North Carolina property of one of my clients, and now friends, named Beth, and she had this magnificent rose garden. I was looking at all of the colors and feeling pleasantly overwhelmed when she asked me, "Have you ever stopped and smelled the roses, David?" I laughed, you know because it's such a cliché thing to say. But she said, "No, seriously, do you ever stop to smell the roses?" And every time she'd email me afterwards, she'd end with "Don't forget, stop and smell the roses." And I think even as cliché as it is, it's so appropriate for my life right now. You have to stop and smell the roses otherwise life will go right by and you haven't had a chance to enjoy it.