There are so many people that flow through your life, but when you think about it, so few go the distance. What do I mean? You know, the folks that are there with you through thick and thin, or the people that you meet professionally that whenever you think about them or contact them it is like you spoke to them yesterday. The people that you respect, admire, that admire you; the people that you have gone into battle with and experienced success or failure, but that left an indelible mark on your life. On the personal side, these are the people that you can trust with anything, the ones that you know without question if you called them at 2:00AM, they would be there as quickly as possible, regardless of whether you spoke to them last week or last year. On a professional/personal side, the people that just get stuff done; no whining, no complaining, no what’s in it for me, no BS. Just straight up, what is it going to take people; put me in coach people; what else can I do people. These are “your peeps”, your go-to folks.
These people have at one time or another been very important to your success, have helped you to become the person you are, have helped you achieve greatness, have provided you with a new perspective, have assisted you in time of trouble, have created awesome solutions for you and helped you accomplish celebratory goals. You know who they are!
I have been very fortunate to have many great folks as a part of my life. Of course that starts with family, but today I would like to give you some examples of people that are not in my everyday life but those that are just awesome every time we engage.
I have three best friends from kindergarten, Armand, John and Jamie. So I have known them for about 95% of my lifetime. No age giveaways here! They have all led very successful lives with wonderful families, had business success and many individual accomplishments. They have changed over the years, as we all have, and have become conditioned by their own life experiences. They have matured into responsible adults (they will never admit that) and have their own large circle of friends and acquaintances that we all have today. But the one constant is that we have an inseparable bond, one that was forged at a very young age, one where trust and admiration was built over many, many years. During that time we spent more time with other people as well, but we always re-engaged. We shared many incredible experiences at that very impressionable time of our lives. We do not talk as often as we should, but when we do, it is like there has been no gap.
During my professional career, I have had the privilege of working not only with the best and brightest but also with people that care about me on a personal level and are always there to provide me counsel, advice, a new contact or forge the way for a new career opportunity. Many of my former co-workers became CEO’s of both large and small businesses, successful investors, board members and industry leaders. A great example of this is my former CEO, Paul. So many times over the years I have reached out to Paul for counsel, guidance and career advice and he has always provided me with honest insight and perspective. When I am looking for a new opportunity, he is one of the first people I call, not only because he is so well connected, but because he listens, learns and takes direct action to support my goals. Whether it is merely an introduction, or it is an opportunity to work with him, he has always provided an honest and highly responsive approach to support my goals.
One final example for today is my friend and co-worker Alejandra. I had the pleasure of meeting Ally in 2011. She is an awesome web designer by trade but more importantly, is one of the highest quality people that I have known professionally. Ally’s philosophy to work and life is “Put me in coach, I will do whatever is necessary to get it done.” She is the proud mother of three children, expecting a fourth now, a tireless worker, extremely creative and she always keeps her eye on the prize. When I ask her for her opinion, I get it. When my idea sucks, she tells me it sucks, but of course offers an outstanding alternative. When there is a tight deadline on a project, she provides you with the guidance and insight to get it done at the highest level of quality. We are working on a project together right now that is just awesome. I have not known Ally long, but I am a very good judge of character. And she is quite the character 🙂
There are so many people that I could have written this blog about. Upon reflection, I am really amazed by how many terrific people I know, that I can turn to whenever I need them, that can provide me with the thoughts and perspectives that I need to either accomplish a project, find a new opportunity or make a difference.
If you have not spoken to some of these great people in your life recently, pick up the phone and call them today. They would love to hear from you!
Webman
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