Another year…
The end of any year means different things to each of us. In real estate investing, it’s a last-minute rush to close a deal. For retailers, running year-end sales boost December numbers. ‘Using before losing’ vacation days may loom large for employees in corporate America. And the challenge in the restaurant world might be what prix-fix deal will fill the tables with revelers waiting for the ball to drop.
Celebrating the New Year, for many, is a glamorous production. Others choose to lay low. My brother always refers to this night as ‘amateur night.’ For me, New Year’s Eve has generally been relatively quiet. This year I will be with friends in New York City raising a glass to toast the past year and the excitement the future has in store.
No matter where you are in the world, and how you choose to ring in the New Year, I wish you and yours health, happiness and prosperity in 2014.
Life
My son Brian sent me this piece in August 2000. I published it last December and received a number of replies saying how much it was liked. I intend to make it part of the final OTR every year. You may have seen this before but I encourage you to reread it.
What I’ve Learned (Author unknown)
• I've learned that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
• I've learned that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
• I've learned that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.
• I've learned that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
• I've learned that it's taken me a long time to become the person I want to be.
• I've learned that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.
• I've learned that you can keep going long after you think you can.
• I've learned that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
• I've learned that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
• I've learned that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.
• I've learned that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
• I've learned that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
• I've learned that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
• I've learned that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
• I've learned that sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.
• I've learned that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to, doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
• I've learned that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
• I've learned that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.
• I've learned that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.
• I've learned that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.
• I've learned that you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.
• I've learned that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
• I've learned that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
• I've learned that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
• I've learned that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.
*
I’ve always enjoyed quotes. When I was in Junior High School, my parents bought me Bartlett’s Famous Quotations where I underlined some of my favorites. I remember one quote that always had meaning for me: No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.
While not found in the collection from Mom and Dad, the above passage from my son is one of the most meaningful to me. I hope you find value in the messages it contains as you enter the New Year.
On The Road…
Jan. 7 – 9: Emerging Managers Conference, Austin, TX
Jan. 15 – 16: New business development meetings, Washington, DC
Jan. 22 - 24, 2014: IMN (Information Management Network) Winter Forum on Opportunity and Private Fund Investing, Laguna Beach, CA
Mar. 11 - 14: MIPIM, Cannes, France
May 16: Annual meeting of The Hoyt Fellows, North Palm Beach, FL
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