Month: March 2011

Friday night my wife and I decided to go out to dinner. We thought we’d try a new restaurant in town. As we drove to the location I couldn’t help but note that the restaurants we passed all seemed full and most had waiting lines. When we got to the new eatery the place was packed! I couldn’t help but think “What’s the matter with you people? Don’t you know there’s a recession on? Don’t you watch the news or read the paper? Didn’t you get the memo that you were supposed to stay home, turn off the lights and huddle beneath a pile of blankets to preserve body heat in order to reduce heating and electrical expense? What is up with these people out in public, sharing time with friends and family and, … gasp … spending money?

Because we had nothing else scheduled for the evening we were willing to wait an hour before we were seated. All in all the dining experience was unsatisfactory. The place was too trendy, too noisy, and too animated for me. I like to go to dinner and have a conversation where I can actually hear the person across the table from me. I think this place, like most new places, just tries too hard. The food was mediocre at best, and they have the last of my money for a very long time. Long enough for me to forget Friday night.

However, the evening was not a complete loss. I was delighted to see people out acting on their own. Living life and not yielding to the fear mongers that seem to dominate every medium. When it really comes down to it, life is great, Yes there are some in need and we should help them. But we should not panic. These ups and downs come around every so often and if you just refuse to participate in them, the recessions, slowdowns and downturns really aren’t too bad.

This week at the office will be interesting. Winter is tough because the majority of our hotel interests are in a certain resort community that is highly seasonal. As a matter of fact, almost 90% of our annual revenue comes in in a 130 day period. It makes the whole affair a management nightmare. None the less, this is part of the business we have chosen and so we will continue to do our best. Perhaps the future will hold different properties, alternate enterprises and exciting new opportunities. I think so. Meanwhile, like all highs and lows in every aspect of life, I know that this too shall pass, so I look forward and leave the past where it belongs, behind me.

Here it is, Wednesday morning already. I’m writing in my blog because I left myself a note to do so last night when I left the office.
It is interesting how fast time rolls by. When I thought about starting this endeavor I thought I’d write in here four or five times a week. It is already becoming clear that this may not be the case. I simply don’t have enough time to allocate that many hours to what I see as an interesting, but by and large unnecessary, undertaking. I harbor the opinion that there are more important things that I can and probably should be doing. Like it or not, time is limited for us all. I doubt that when I lay on my death bed I’ll wish that I had spent more time blogging. After all, without my words of wisdom being recorded for posterity online, I strongly suspect that the world would still go on, the weather would still change, the economy would improve (I hope), my granddaughter would still grow up and I would still develop more gray hairs and pack on an even greater amount of midbody insulation.
I can’t help but wonder whether overall blogging is a meaningful activity. I suspect that it is, … WITHIN REASON!
Blogging looks to me like it could function well as a journaling process, may provide a history of life events and experiences of the author that may be helpful to others or interesting to existing family members or progeny. However, I think that it is like some other things that could become habitually unproductive.
Quite frankly, I am appalled at times when I respond to a request on Facebook and see many notations that people leave. They feel it necessary to log on and record single line stuff like “I have a headache,” “I am getting ready to go shopping,” and “I’m late for picking up my son from school.” I know I probably have a bad attitude about this but I can’t help but think “Take an aspirin, go shopping and pick up your son without leaving him waiting and wondering where you are while you’re wasting time on the web!”
I would hope that the information shared by people would be something a little more valuable and a little less vapid. Such is not however the case.
So here’s a few random thoughts that you will probably find as uninteresting as I do those noted above. I guess when it comes down to it, I’m just as bad at putting down minutia as everybody else.
My Sunday’s seem less like a day of rest and more and more like work. I love my church responsibilities and would not want them to change, but I do miss the break. I believe strongly that people need some rest, relaxation and recreation to maintain a mentally and emotionally healthy life. We need the time to “re-create” ourselves and our lives.
My business life is increasingly demanding and stressful, although I try my best to leave the stress at the office. I wish I had more time that I could logically spend or that I was better at doing what needs to be done so that I could make more progress. I plan to work more at business growth, development and profitability and less on new start-ups. This will not be easy for me. I am one who likes to build the train, but who does not want to drive it.
I continue to deeply appreciate and try to live by the eternal truths I have learned not only from holy writ, but also from wise people who have preceded me and been good enough to leave me a legacy of understanding that they pioneered and from which I benefit. Included among them are Maxwell Maltz (spelling?), Napoleon Hill, and my favorite, Earl Nightingale.
We’re getting close to introducing our new software company. The portfolio real estate is doing fine. One piece is improving dramatically. The investment and management group is struggling and will for a few more months. The continuing education training website is on hold until we get the software sales and service side in place and begin the marketing roll out. The real estate education and financial services site is functional with its redesign and making slight progress. I’ll be more specific in the future.
Enough for now. I’ll try again on Friday to blog, but can’t make any promises.

Here’s the deal. I lead a very busy life. I have multiple companies, interests and significant responsibilities in my chosen faith. (That “multiple companies” thing sounds better than it is. They just seem to keep me busy and broke all at the same time.)
I guess it is easier to have a variety of things to deal with, and thereby occupy my mind, than to consider whether or not I have adult onset ADD and just can’t focus on one thing for very long. My days are full of variety. From family, real estate consulting, business management, motel operation, web enterprises and the new software company we’re getting ready to roll out, I have the luxury of jumping between subjects and issues like a human pinball ricocheting here and there all the time setting off bells, whistles and a variety of other responses.
My life is not just full it has long since overflowed its banks and is flooding the delta. I LOVE IT! There simply are not enough hours in a day for me. (Nor are that at night when I’d like to catch a few more winks than I do.)
As I progress through this process, I plan to use this blog to vent my irritation, express my disappointment, share my impressions, trumpet my joy, teach the truths that have molded my existence and generally rant and rave as I feel inclined. I have no idea if this will be valuable to anyone else, but I assure you it will fun for me.
I do however need to warn you. I am very opinionated, reasonably conservative, pigheaded, thin-skinned and still willing to let you into my psyche if you so choose to participate. If not, fine. But I promise that you’ll miss some very interesting things. They seem to happen to me with alarming regularity. Names will be changed to protect the innocent.