New Light Enterprises Inc.

Why the Fourth Quarter matters Yes, this blog is going to use a play on words and a few sports analogies so for my non-sports fans especially those in my inner circle please bear with me and read on and perhaps you’ll be on board Pictured is Pete Rose, a very controversial figure who passed away recently…but one thing is for sure, the word hustle is synonymous with his name If anyone is a fan of sports, happy endings, last minute heroics, or a superhero movie junkie like me perhaps you’ll appreciate my thoughts What makes winning at the very end so rewarding? A walk off grand slam incredible? A trick play to propel a Super Bowl win for a bunch of underdogs? Moon landings in the wrong place that prove successful? I think it has something to do with a universal appreciation for humanity’s resilience in the face of adversity If this is true…then why do many business people begin to slow down, pull back and ride out the fourth quarter? I have seen this throughout my career and have pointed this out as a potential advantage to mentees and people in leadership circles So what’s the advantage? Simply put, It’s the principle of working a little harder and longer Its the positive energy that’s generated that helps a person reach a little further to finish the year strong while helping your teammates and clients (who are also your teammates) get to the goal line and win together! I’ve heard a lot of great excuses over the years…Many of them my own…then one day I realized that many of my competitors were taking the slow down approach and that it left many opportunities waiting for me to explore and work through at a time when people were more relaxed and open to considering changes going into the early part of the new year Let me be clear, this doesn’t mean that people aren’t busy at the end of the year, nor do they not need time to relax and slow down to plan and reset for next year We do that at my company What I’m saying is that none of us knows what the future really holds except for one thing…That we have been blessed with limited time on this planet to make the most of it That itself should be a motivation to try to do the best we can for ourselves, and the people in our circles. So if you’ve already hung up your cleats, given up on the alien invasion or turned your spaceship around returning to earth, you still have time to consider that it’s only the end of October and you have over two full months to give your best You deserve it Your family, friends and loved ones deserve it Most importantly, the world needs it! Wishing you all the best and looking forward to sharing a heroic ending with all of you! #FinishingStrong #RelationshipMatter

Why Truckers Matter Happy truckers appreciation week! I can still remember that first day I walked into that diesel soot covered, cigarette smoke filled over testosterone laden freight terminal at Consolidated Freightways. Something inside me told me… I think I’m gonna like it here! They say the freight business is something that is in your blood. I started my professional life dropping out of college, so my wife and I could raise our twins who came by surprise in my second senior year in college. The option of being a full-fledged trucker quickly escaped me as a combination of what at the time was undiagnosed ADHD, my ability to talk too much and trying to be a perfectionist that didn’t last long in the tractor nor on the dock. I tell the story that I was promoted into sales purely based on all the other things I failed at! My boss said, you know I should fire you, but for some reason, everybody likes you even the Teamsters! And the Teamsters don’t like anybody around here ?? I’ll never forget all those good guys, and especially the drivers who, while they represented their ideals through the union, always took the time to see how I was doing and supported me my family and my customers. When there was a strike in 1994, they allowed my family to walk through the picket lines to visit me as I “guarded” the terminal by grilling out for them, playing wiffleball in the parking lot with my kids and allowing my wife to cook and serve homemade pasta and meatballs to all of us while we watched Disney videos with the kids on the hazardous materials training VCR/TV. These throwback stories are as real today as they were then. We mustn’t forget that truckers are people no matter who they work for of what country they come from or how they make their living. Trucking is still one of the most demanding and least desirable jobs… Like in the days of my ancestors, it is the immigrant that drives the truck in many cases today. We must appreciate the guy or girl who is trying to support their family as best they can, putting up with traffic, weather, constant changes and regulations and rising expenses. Day in and day out all of our stuff gets delivered, so that we can have the conveniences that this great country brings to us every day! I’m proud and will always be part of the Trucking community as it has been not only the backbone of this country but the supporting structure of my personal, financial and business life! May God bless our truckers! #RelationshipsMatter #TruckersMatter

Why marriage matters My fourth oldest son, Michael got married to his fiancé of over three years about a week ago. The courtship, pre-connection of families, and the buildup to the actual day, were all filled with excitement, some anxiety (which is normal) but mostly what I call a fireworks display of relationships as the beautiful mixture of different families faiths and friends all came to life for several hundred people over a five day span. Marriage in its own state, is not tied to any politics and the beauty of marriage is because it’s about that beautiful word that helped change the trajectory of my life over 35 years ago. Commitment. Some of the most beautiful words on love ever written, were given by the apostle Paul 2000 years ago in the book of 1 Corinthians “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” You don’t see the word commitment here, but if you read this back to yourself a few times it’s fingerprinted throughout the entire reading. I know many of my friends, and the readers of my blogs may have not had the marriage of their dreams nor may even be married anymore. The older I get, I see people of all ages, just giving up and not wanting to try or take risks, especially when committing to relationships both personal and in business. If I had my way, I would write that scripture verse in the contracts we write with our clients. I would replace the word love with my business name new light enterprises ?? The world we live in and the constant access to all its negatives erodes our trust in each other. But you have to ask yourself, then why do people still get married? Why do they still make cold calls? Why do they sign their name to documents? I believe that the reason is that deep down the human soul’s yearning for trust is the glue that defines humanity at its best. And when that trust deteriorates, it defines us at our worst. And the best way to build a trusting relationship is through committing yourself to it or at least try to… Over and over again. No matter how many years you have on the planet, Life is worth living only in the long game. This week think about these words, and ask yourself, could I put my name or business name, in place of the word love? Would that change anything? #MarriageMatters #RelationshipsMatter #CommitmentMatters