Life is not problem-free. As one of my friends says, “You’re either in a crisis, coming out of a crisis, or about to go into a crisis.” The key to maintaining your balance is perspective. Sometimes all it takes is for someone to ask the right question.

Years ago, I went to Sam Moore’s office for my weekly one-on-one meeting. He was the CEO of Thomas Nelson at the time and my boss. As I entered the executive suite, I felt my stomach tighten. I had bad news to report, and I was concerned how he might react.

At the end of this month, we are launching Andy Andrews’ new book, The Noticer. As part of the promotion, we have created The Noticer Project. The goal is to launch a worldwide movement of people who will take a few minutes to “notice” five of the most influential people in their life.

Noticing these five people can be private—just a letter or an email—or public—writing a blog post, updating your Facebook or Twitter status or joining The Noticer Project Facebook Group. Regardless, we want to encourage people to notice the people who have had the most influence in their life now, rather than waiting until a wedding, graduation, or—God forbid—a funeral.

The most difficult part of this exercise is limiting it to five people. There are literally hundreds of people who have helped me along the way. But at the risk of overlooking someone important, here are my top five:

Today is the first day of our 2010 fiscal year at Thomas Nelson. It is our 212th year in business. It is a day full of new beginnings and possibilities. As I thought about that today, I thought it might be good to take a quick look at the past as we prepare for the future.

Thomas Nelson’s Gaelic ancestors had a popular proverb: “Cuimhnich air na daoine o’n d’thainig thu.” It means, “Remember the people from whom you have come.” This is a wise and powerful saying. It is often forgotten in our modern world that places such a high value on everything new and shiny. But remembering our ancestors often provides a treasure-trove of resources for meeting the challenges of today.

Our company began in Scotland with the birth of Thomas Neilson [sic] in 1780. Though his parents were farmers, he developed an interest in printing, the most high-tech industry of the 18th century. As a result, his parents sent him to London to become an apprentice in a print shop on Paternoster Row, which was kind of the Silicon Valley of the Day.