It was always good to do a little reflection as you complete another year of life.
Personally, this past year has been great. The family and I have been healthy. My oldest completed her first year at school away from home successfully. My son graduated high school and went away to school. To be honest, any problems I’ve dealt have been of the “first world” variety. To say I’ve been incredibly blessed is an understatement.
On the business side, it’s been a little bit of a rough one. I was pretty excited coming into 2014. We had generated momentum over 2013 that I wanted to build upon through 2015. It felt like we had finally turned the corner, and I was expecting a big year. It all changed in mid-January.
Our biggest customer decided to move in a different direction without giving notice. I was frustrated. I was disappointed. I was upset. I wasn’t sure the business that I invested eight years building would survive. Out of that tough situation I learned a valuable lesson, the importance of friends.
Like most things in our lives, friends are something that we take for granted. We don’t always spend the time or effort we should to nurture these relationships. We get engrossed in our own problems and issues. But when we hit bumps in the road, friends are our most valuable assets.
When things went sideways in January and February, it was my friends who helped me to stay balanced and put things in perspective. They listened as I vented my disappointment and frustrations. They offered support, and more importantly, they offered sound, measured advice. They helped me to stay balanced and find the way forward.
The good news is that with the support of friends, as well as family, I was able to persevere and the business has pulled through. In fact, we’re in a stronger position than we were a year ago and are building momentum as we head into 2015. Without that support, encouragement, and advice, it would not have been possible.
As I embark on the next year of my journey through this thing called life, I’d like to thank all the friends and family who listened, were there for me and helped. All of them have been important and special, and I’m looking forward to enjoying another year of building and nurturing the relationships that make this a life worth living.