(Becky Blanton shaking hands with Daniel Pink at the end of her talk at TED Global 2009)

Once the TED video was posted some of my friends commented about my having finally arrived or accomplished the ultimate. Others assume that that was the “happy ending” and I returned to an easy life and lots of accolades. I didn’t. Life has pretty much been the same. I do a few radio or book interviews, but mostly my life is the same.

I work. I look for work. I “stay hungry.” That’s normal. One of the downfalls of all our technology is television. We’ve become used to “happy endings” in 30 minutes. But life is a matter of adapting, working, being grateful every day. It’s the day-to-day that keeps us healthy, alive and striving.

I’ve joined a gym, decided to lose 100 pounds, and have started working out and eating better. I’m knee deep in books about “boundaries and setting boundaries.” I’m writing, I’m working, I’m happy. TED was the beginning of so much. Not the end.

I’ve often read over the years that Olympic champions feel let down and disappointed when they finally win their gold medal. “That’s all there is? This is what I worked for?” is often the response. It’s the same when someone has achieved a weight loss, gotten a promotion, bought a house….those things aren’t the END of our efforts, they’re the beginning - the first step in the next phase of our lives. It’s what “staying hungry” is all about.