You are who you are surrounded by.

Today I fly out to my younger brother Chris's wedding. I won't lie, it is a somewhat surreal feeling for me. I can vividly remember growing up with him and all the fun, and sometimes not so fun, times we had. And I am honored that I will be on a plane this afternoon to go be his best man.

Here he is with me at my own wedding.

Flashback about 20 years, and he was by my side helping me learn how to roller blade. WTF are we wearing LMFAO.

Lastly, here is him and his fiancee, soon to be wife, Brooke. They have "repped" and supported the THRIVE mission before it even had any legs. I am forever grateful for their belief from the beginning of it all.

He is a much more private person than I am, and I want to respect that fact. So I will leave it at that.

From a very young age I realized how important it was to have good people around you at all times. To not deal with drama. To confront issues head on. And to ultimately live a passionate life where you are not afraid to love and be loved. Much of this stemmed from having a younger brother.

Anyone out there knows that when you have a brother, no matter what happens in life, you have each other's back. They see the good, the bad, the gray, the joy, and the absolute heartbreak that life can throw at us. They see a side of us that nobody else will ever see. Flaws and all. And yet, they still somehow love us. Through it all, they remain.

That is the kind of brother I have.

That is the kind of family I have.

That is the kind of people I work to surround myself with on the daily.

And that is what I work to be for other people.

Today I ask you to reflect on those people in your life. The people that make your world what it is. The people that held you together when you were broken. The people that raised you up when you needed it most. And the people who celebrated your victories with you, as if it were their own.

Let us be grateful for those people, and send them a message to let them know how we feel about them. To thank them for being that person to us. To reassure them that we will never forget what they have meant to us.

Challenge: Take your phone out right now and text a few people showing your gratitude for them. Bonus points if you send them a video or audio message. :)

Time to go catch my flight!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

#thriveon

CJ

ps: today my gratitude is obvious, I am thankful for my brother and the rest of my family that I will be seeing. I am going to give them the biggest hug when I see them.