Yesterday I found this which I wrote in June 2007 and wanted to share it with you:
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately, maybe it’s all the time that
I’ve had on airplanes or alone in hotel rooms but the word ‘acknowledgement’
came to me this week and I when I Googled it, I found this wonderful
quote: “At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from
another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who
have lighted the flame within us." Albert Schweitzer
Something to consider:
Wherever you are, you didn't get there alone. When you were lost, down,
or out, someone sparked your thinking and helped show you the way. Take the
time to thank these people. Oftentimes they don't even know what they've done.
When you let them know how they contributed to your life, you contribute to
theirs.
Something to try:
1. Think about who has contributed to your life significantly in the
past 5 years
2. Send them a note or take them to lunch.
3. Let them know how they've helped you and why you appreciate
them.
4. Recognize that you don't have to wait until something is over to
thank someone.
And while we have all had people in our lives that have helped us along
the way, consider yourself very lucky if you have a relationship with someone
where both people are there to support each other’s dreams. It isn’t
always that way. I consider myself one of the lucky ones.
**
CRE Tech Intersect
San Francisco
June 16, 2016
CRE Tech Intersects calls itself “the commercial real estate (CRE)
industry's leading symposium on emerging and innovative technologies.”
And, having been to their events, I totally agree. Next week CRE Tech
Intersect will happen in San Francisco (hey, San Francisco is where the term
‘happening’ was created in the 60’s right?).
I encourage you to make an effort to attend. Your eyes will be
opened to new ways that people are thinking about technology, in all it’s
various ways, shapes and forms, can advance our industry. Here’s
where you can buy a ticket.
**
Muhammad Ali
This past week, I’ve read quite a bit of what has been written about
Muhammad Ali following his recent death. Here are a few things that I
want to share with you in case you didn't catch them:
New York Times – June 9, 2016
Perhaps Maya Angelou said it best: “It
wasn’t only what he said and it wasn’t only how he said it;
it was both of those things, and maybe there was a third thing in it, the
spirit of Muhammad Ali, saying his poesies — ‘Float like a butterfly, sting
like a bee.’ I mean, as a poet, I like that! If he hadn’t put his name on it, I
might have chosen to use that!”
**
Edmund Wilson once
said, “We have produced some of our truest poetry in the folk songs that are
inseparable from their tunes.” Likewise, the power of Ali’s poetry, often bland
on the page, is inseparable from the compelling resonance of his voice.
He was, if
anything, a master signifier, the Shakespeare of linguistic pugilism, using his
words to counterpunch his opponents, well before they stepped in the ring:
Now Liston
disappears from view,
The crowd is
getting frantic.
But our radar
stations have picked him up,
He’s somewhere
over the Atlantic.
**
When Ali described
himself as “the astronaut of boxing,” that Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey “were
just jet pilots — I’m in a world of my own,” he was right at least about the
last part: The politics of his change of name, the politics of his religious
conversion and the politics of his opposition to the Vietnam War gave his
poetry a political context that Ali couldn’t have escaped if he had wanted to.
**
Congratulations Graduates!
Congratulations to y’all (that’s Southern for ‘you all’ or ‘all of you’)
who have someone in your family graduating at this time of year. I
remember when my sons graduated high school and then college – what a thrill it
was (especially as my younger son Kevin was the president of his senior class
in high school and gave the commencement address). Enjoy – these are
live-long memories.
**
Woodlands – Hendersonville,
NC
Over the winter, I discovered this shop on Main Street in
Hendersonville, NC (about 20 minutes from me). I generally hesitate to
use the word ‘unique’ about anything but I classify Woodlands into that
category. It’s an eclectic mix of furniture and other stuff, much of it
bought directly from the people who make it by the owner, Margo Lea.
“…Margo Lea is
pulling together a cadre of local artists to exhibit work at Woodlands —
carefully selecting each to meet the aesthetic of the home decor boutique…The
aesthetic at Woodlands, as the name implies, is nature-centric, with a light,
whimsical feel, couched in a mid-century modern design sensibility.”
(Source: Blueridgenow.com).
If you’re going to be in the area, or know someone who lives around
Hendersonville, please tell him or her about Woodlands. (Note: Main
Street in Hendersonville is a throw-back to the shopping districts of old and
while there’s no Woolworth there is a place called Mike’s on Main Street, a
restaurant housed in an old drug store which still has the counter and has the
look and feel of history).
**
IMN Opportunity and Private
Fund Investing Forum – New York June 13 and 14
I just took a look at the speaker list for next week’s event and was so
excite to see that so many of my industry friends are speaking on panels. My panel, “A Day in the Life of an LP” is at
5pm on Monday, just before the cocktail networking reception. And, while many feel that that slot, between the audience and a cocktail, is a bad one, given the LP’s on our panel,
I believe we’ll have a packed house. Hope to see you there! Btw, here are the names of some industry friends of mine who will be speaking:
Russ Appel, The Praedium Group; Brian Boyer, Wespath; Tommy Brown, LGT Capital Partners; Beth Thomas, Harvard Management Company; Barry Chase, Belay Investment Group; Michael Cohen, CoStar Investment Strategy; Richard Cohen, GTIS Partners; Steve Coyle, Bentall Kennedy; Sean Dalfen, Dalfen America Corp.; Ron Dickerman, Madison International Realty; Michael Dombai, Courtland Fund Services; Paul Dougherty, PLP; Tom Errath, Harrison Street; Jeff Fastov, Square Mile; Claudia Faust, Hawkeye Partners; Howard Fields, Inland Institutional; Ed Garcia, Russell Investments; Rodgers Harshbarger, UNC Management Company; KJ Lee, Clarion Partners; David Lynn, Everest; Doug Lyons, Pearlmark; Bill Maher, LaSalle; Judy McMahan, UPS Investments; Ken Munkacy, GID; Ira Perlmutter, T5; Mark Roberts, Deutsche Asset Management; Peter Sotoloff, Mack Real Estate; Maria Stamolis, Canyon Partners; Gil Tenzer, Contrarian Capital; Tim Wang, Clarion Partners; Michelle Wells, Waterton; Ione Wilsmann, US Steel / Carnegie Pension Fund; Andrew Yoon, GreenOak.
**
Road Trip - Change in plans
Just as I was finalizing the plans for my summer road trip I made a difficult decision to postpone it to another time. There are a few reasons, not worth taking the space to write about, but I’ll be staying close to home (NC), working on my book and getting to know the area I moved to last November where I haven’t spent much time. If you are planning to be anywhere near me (Arden / Asheville, NC) this summer and are interested in trying to meet up, please let me know.
**
Congratulations...
Michiel Foekens who has joined RCA (Real Capital Analytics) in The Netherlands
One final thing...
I saw the movie, "Me Before You" this week. It's a beautiful movie and a tear-jerker but if you like that kind of stuff, I highly recommend it.
