Ever do something for the first time and struggle with knowing whether you have done it correctly? This happens to me in many different circumstances such as at the gym - did I really use this machine correctly? In the kitchen - did I follow the recipe exactly how the writer intended? At the golf course - am I using the correct club? Regardless the circumstance or the new experience, time will show the results. 

A couple of years ago my family and I spent a week at Yellowstone National Park. One thing this trip had a lot of was preparation! Before, during, and even after we had to spend time preparing for what lied ahead. The preparation not only made us ready for future events but allowed us to thoroughly enjoy the moment we were preparing for once we were in it! Since we took the time to prepare we knew what to look out for, what to expect, so no worry or distraction came and robbed the joy from the moment. The ever present moment. 

"My dad's the best!" says my youngest son with his hands on his hips and his chest puffed out making himself stand taller. There is so much certainty in this statement. This statement is a fact as far as my son is concerned. As he said these words it was as if he was challenging his older brother to retort it. 

Do you think your father is the best?

How do you determine value? What are some criteria you use to determine the value of something? 

Is it location like real estate? 

Is it popularity like the item is trending?

Is it the quality tied to brand? 

Is it familiarity because you grew up with it?

Is it price / the cost?

There are so many different perspectives and measurements we can use to determine the value something has in our opinion. It is this value we calculate whether consciously or unconsciously will drive how we associate and use the item.

Have you ever walked into the middle of two people's conversation? You catch bits and pieces of the conversation. I remember a time at my grandmother's house. I came from the back room into the kitchen to find my grandmother and mother sitting at the table deep in conversation. Their faces were serious and I could sense the emotion was tense. Based on the pieces of the conversation I could understand they were speaking of someone who had just passed away and the horrible betrayal they had endured. The more I listened the more concerned I became. So concerned I built up enough courage to interrupt them and ask "Who has died?" The question just laid there for what seemed like an eternity in the air. My mother and grandmother looked at each other and smiled. Leaving me more confused. Then they rattled off the character's name from the Spanish soap opera they both had been watching last evening!