the power of camaraderie

Anyone here felt how incredible the Power of Camraderie is? I had a real cool time last week at the National Sales Meeting for my company Braintree Labs (BLI), and thought I'd throw down some thoughts about it since tonight is one week since it all wrapped up.

The song in this video is "Umbrella" by Rihanna, sung by Alejandro Manzano of Boyce Avenue…. I love how this kid's accoustic version sounds, and the song is about dedication to friends and loved ones and has a good Camaraderie theme for today… so push play and keep reading!

About this time of year I get asked what I miss the most from the time I spent in the NFL, and my answer is that I miss the camaraderie. I miss competing at the highest level of my profession with a group of dedicated people who were passionate about what we were working to accomplish. Hands down the incredible camaraderie beats out all the other good things about playing pro ball. I'm sure most of you have been on a team at some point and felt what I'm talking about. I MISS being an important part of a team. I won't lie, I miss the huge paychecks and being on the field on game-day and all that too; but money comes and goes, and money can't buy that utterly magical camaraderie that comes from being a member of a team that you really care about.

So on to the sales meeting…. First off, BLI has a unique culture to it that is much more comfortable and personable that any other corporation I've ever worked for, and it's way more conducive to building camaraderie in the first place. I've been with BLI for almost three years, and worked hard to be productive and contribute. It's paid off with a good career path and great friendships built, and our sales meeting is the time to see everyone and get our party on for a few days! So now picture five straight days of hanging out at DisneyWorld and partying with some of your favorite people that you rarely get to see..... there were so many smiles…... so many great jokes….. so many funny looks, funny texts, so many times people bought drinks for each other..….. everyone being unselfish……… so many genuine smiles…….. so many times people shared great stories……. so many people living for a few days fully accepted and loved by their peers…... It's a funny little alternate-universe we create for a week, getting so little sleep but having so much fun…. I loved it and its something that I look forward to all year!!

On the last night of the event we have an awards banquet, and before it started I spent some time on the fringe of the cocktail party just looking over our crowd. It was a serene minute for me, looking at all the people I've grown to know and love; seeing the faces of BLI interacting and enjoying one more night of good times before we all head back to our individual states and territories to work alone again. This is about as cheesy as I can get, but it's sincere and it ended up being pretty poignant for me, so hang in here…. Or maybe just picture a group of people you really care about, put yourself in a space of real gratitude and love for them and the role they play in your life, and see if you can relate it…….. We were at the end of five days of fun and laughs, long nights, longer meetings, mediocre food, scorching hot volleyball and pool time, lots of drinks, and some funny skits mixed in. Basically we'd spent the week bonding as a group, and as I looked at each person in that banquet hall I thought of a fun time we'd shared or something they'd accomplished or a way they'd shown up in a caring way for me or for the other people in our company. It was a really big gratitude moment for me because once again I truly felt like an important member of a team that I really cared about. And I know I wouldn't have felt it if I never would've put myself out there and made sure this group knows I care about them too. But I have, and this moment was a part of the payoff. I started tearing up a little bit. It was kind of selfish of me in a way, in that I am a huge sucker for positive group interaction and I wanted to wring out every ounce of happiness from this time that I had with my friends. I talk to or text these folks all year without putting a face on the voice, and this week I'd blown that limited interaction away and just spent these days in the middle of the coolest social hurricane I've ever experienced! So there I was on day five, at the end of our yearly time together, wearing a suit and tie, standing alone, choking up with gratitude and appreciation for these people I love and how appreciated I've felt by them. So wanna know what can make a supposedly big tough guy cry silently to himself at a banquet? The Power of Camaraderie can. And did.

So take the next step...... load up a slideshow of pictures of your friends or loved ones and play this song while you go through those pics a few times. See if you get yourself to that space of love and gratitude. It might be nothing, but it also might be the best thing you do all day. Because it doesn't take a big outside group or team to feel the power of camaraderie in our lives. We're all already part of a team, part of a family, part of different families. We all have access to that power.....just have to plug into it. Lemme know how it goes!

Big thanks to all my friends at BLI and everywhere else! I love you guys!!

Ryan

ps. If you liked Boyce Avenue, check them out here: http://www.myspace.com/boyceavenue