I'm sitting in at the Saint James Hotel in Paris.  I traveled here by the Orient Express from London for a business summit.  Before arriving, the hosts asked attendees to write a future bio.  They gave specific instructions and I struggled for far too long to get it written.  In the end, this is what I submitted.  One day, I'll look back at this and appreciate how far I've come.

My toes in the wet grass.  At my side green smoothie rests in a plastic tumbler, flecks of blueberries clinging to the edges.  I've been told to write a bio about how I'd like to be known three years from now.  Make it brag worthy, they said.  Write it like a man who has had two glasses of whiskey, and make it awesome.

So I tried.  Tried to make it awesome, but I sat with my laptop and my fingers refused to move.  For weeks, they refused to dance across the keyboard in a way they normally do.

That's why I'm outside pressing my feet solidly into the ground, legs dangling from my backyard deck.  When I think of brag-worthy success, it usually comes in the form of freedom.  Freedom to work where, when, and however I want; to earn however much I dream.

In three years I'll be a photographer and the go-to strategist for branding and marketing for creative entrepreneurs.  When it comes to personal branding, my business will be synonymous with proven strategies, third-party endorsements, and a wealth of satisfied clients.

The real markers of success, however, will come in the form of adopting a child and celebrating life with my husband.  We'll host backyard dinners for friends and family under a starry sky, the seashore breeze cooling the dark night.  We'll donate to charity, we'll volunteer for international aid, and we'll leave the world better than we found it.

I don't think I sound like a bragging man after two glasses of whisky, but after finishing a green smoothie, I'm proud of the person I'll be in three years.