Fast:Forward Farther

Continuing the Top 10 Things I learned this year… number six:

Auto Responder – My biggest pet peeve is inconsiderate drivers who cut in-and-out of traffic… and I typically reacted by saying: ‘What an idiot!’ or ‘Can you believe that guy?’ Last summer, after yet another incident, my son asked, “Dad, why do you care?” In that moment I realized those situations were causing me unnecessary anguish. My new response is to say, “Dude, you must be in a hurry.” Then I hum a version of the year’s biggest hit: “Let it Go. Let it Go. The road never bothered me anyway.”

Here is the seventh best lesson I learned this year:

Tempus Fugit – I was speaking about children with another client whose kids are much younger than ours… discussing how quickly they grow up – and I mentioned Kathy and I are close to being empty nesters. (There are happy things about that thought… and sad ones, too.) “A friend of mine put it this way,” he said. “When you’re raising kids, the days are slow and the years are fast.”

Lesson eight learned this year:

Energy Drain – Our electricity provider contract came up last summer and we received a renewal offer that was 40% higher than the expiring rate. I called and said: “We’re a loyal customer. What’s your best deal?” The salesperson reduced it in half. I decided to price shop and found an option at the current rate, so I called back and gave them a chance to counter. “I’m sorry, but we can’t do that.” I let them know we would be switching and asked not to be contacted after the fact. Sure enough, two weeks into the new contract, an email arrived saying they would match the rate. Let’s just say I called, confirmed we were being recorded, asked to make sure the president heard what I was about to share… and for 10 minutes railed about the way they treat customers. Unbelievably last week they reached out again: “We just wanted to find out why you decided to go somewhere else.”

Here is the ninth best thing I learned in 2014:

Golden Years – Baby Boomers are hitting retirement age every day. A 64-year-old client was hesitant to let go of his career… for fear of what to do during all that free time. I told him that everyone I know who’s made the leap had the same apprehension, yet a few months after stepping out of the rat race said, “I wished I had done this sooner.” A few weeks later Steve let me know he would stop working at year’s end: “I picked the date and rediscovered that commitment precedes happiness – whether you’re retiring, making an offer on a house or getting married.”

 

 

Each December, I pause to share with my newsletter readers the ‘Top 10 Things’ I learned during the year. Here’s wishing you peace and success in the New Year… as we begin with Lesson #10:

Broken Promises – Returning from last year’s Christmas trip, we discovered a large window on the back of our home cracked top to bottom. We contacted a local glass company… and the installer and helper arrived four hours after the scheduled time on a cold night. For 90 minutes we huddled in blankets as they did what glaziers do. The next morning I went outside to check their handiwork and discovered it was terrible. Then I realized the loud noise I heard when they left was their truck backing against our mailbox and knocking it askew. It took multiple unreturned calls and several trips for them to make good on their poor craftsmanship and driving skills. A few days later I remembered our next-door neighbor is in that business.