Champagne in paper cups. Celebrating the wins.

Ben turns 50, decides to run 50kms to celebrate. 

To keep it interesting, he adds close to 3000m of elevation and a day in which Wellington experienced cyclone-like gusts of wind up to 120km/hr.

Marking the moment with some bubbles was just what was called for. A bit of planning for a moment that seemed so right as we tried to stop the cups blowing out of our hands. 

And it reminds me how easy it is to blow past these moments. All too easy to finish something and not stop to appreciate the achievement. 

Many of us are hard-driving types, quickly moving from one project to the next with a vague sense of dissatisfaction as the goal posts keep moving. Dan Sullivan calls this living in the gap, where we measure progress against a target that keeps shifting. 

He contrasts it with living in the gain, where we measure from where we started. We look over our shoulder and appreciate the distance we've come. 

That's a more productive place. And it's where we build the natural confidence that helps us with the next adventure.

Happy Birthday Ben. An epic way to celebrate the milestone.