Joe Gerstandt | keynote speaker, freedom fighter, freak-flag flier

My dear friend and fellow freak flag flier, Mary Schaefer and I, do some occasional joint Q and A posts and her most recent question for us to answer is this:

What are you most excited about for this coming year?

To tell the truth, there are a lot of things I am excited about.  This will be my third year flying solo and my business has consistently grown and expanded, even during difficult economic times, and I am excited about new speaking opportunities scheduled for 2010 and new corporate clients that have scheduled me for work in 2010.  This is going to be a busy year…and that is good.

But.

What has me really, really, really excited about 2010 is the introduction of new things into the world.  Three things specifically… The Brand, The Book and The Baby Boy.

The Brand

A year ago I did not know what I did not know about “branding.”  I said that I got it, and I thought that I did, but I did not.  My BFF had suggested a couple of times that I have someone do some branding work for me, but I felt like I had a handle on things.  Fortunately, my ignorance eventually released its grip and I saw the light.  I stumbled upon a kind, competent and patient Sherpa who has been guiding me through a branding process.  We still have some work to do, but I am looking forward to rolling things out in the near future including a new web site. 

The Book

I have wanted to write a book for about 10 years now.  I have and always will be a book worm, so this is not something I take lightly and I have decided that it is time to either walk the walk or stop talking the talk.  It may never get published.  It may never be read by anyone other than my mother (she has already promised me she will read it).  It may be absolutely horrible.  But this is the year that it will be written…this I know.    I am building my writing time into my schedule, starting this week.

The Baby Boy

My wife and I are very blessed with two lovely, expressive and perfectly insane daughters (9 and 2).  We decided that we would add further to the family and in early 2009 we became pregnant and looked forward to a holiday baby.  But life happens on its terms and not ours…that pregnancy very unexpectedly came to an end and we were heartbroken. Everything stopped. It hurt and it stung and it made us sad and angry and scared and confused…and it still does at times.  We kind of collapsed in on each other for a while and fortunately, we are surrounded by loving and supportive friends and family. 

This is a new day and the music has changed. 

We continue to be blessed in many ways.  We are pregnant and expecting a baby boy to join our family this May.  It is valuable to be reminded from time to time that life does not always happen on our terms…it helps us remember to be thankful.

I am thankful.

2010 is going to be big and busy and loud and I am looking forward to every single day of it.

Be good to each other.