“Come on, Vid, do me a solid!’
“Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted; no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”
Good morning beautiful people; I’m writing these words on the edge of the world. I’m looking at the ocean; below me is the hustle and bustle of humanity. There is a pool, a restaurant, beds, chairs, and umbrellas. The resort life has its perks.
We arrived at noon yesterday, our kid, her man, her man’s sister, and our neighbor girl from when we lived in Carmel. A late surprise was our friends Kris and Marzy from Conifer, CO. We gathered together, drank on the beach, and got to bed early to begin our few days of celebrating life. Dave and Nicole’s friends were late deletions; they will travel with us once the pandemic is over.
We arrived at our resort to learn one of the three pools is “shuddered.” I put that in quotes because my good friend Chris pointed out that I used that word incorrectly, it should be “shuttered,” and Chris, now that I know, I’ll not make that mistake again. Thank you for your kind nudge. We have two pools, more than we have at home, so we leaned into the news. The resort is clean; all employees wear masks, the guests do not.
We will be getting tested tomorrow to ensure we can return to the U.S. if we are infected, we have to quarantine here for 14 days with our mates. I’ve never wanted a positive test in my life, but I’m hoping the Vid’s lips touch my seemingly impenetrable body. Come on, Vid, give me a solid!
Kidding didn’t mean to trigger you Covid Fear Folk; I’ll try and be better. I’m convinced 50 percent of the world is terrified, and the other 50 percent is like, “what the hell is going on?” I’m in the “what the hell is going on” group, but I have mad respect for the counter opinion. I’ll respect you, and maybe you can open your mind to the thoughts of someone that thinks differently than yourself?
I’m sorry this soup is a little tardy, my Queen and I walked this morning, got some coffee, watched the ocean; it’s blissful here, a well-deserved break from our hectic lives. I was on LinkedIn on the plane down and caught a snippet of Steve Jobs as a younger man. I’ve always had a love for job’s I did my master’s thesis on his life. The thesis was written before he returned and made Apple what it is today. I know he’s an asshole, but the world needs assholes too.
His story was about calling up Bill Hewlett of Hewlett and Packard fame when Jobs was 12. He was trying to make a sequencer and wondered if Bill might have some spare parts lying around. Bill, the multimillionaire, gave young Jobs the parts and hired him to work on the assembly line making the sequencers he was modeling at home. Child labor laws be damned.
His point was, successful people, want to help other people. I am now at a time when I enjoy mentorship; I like helping others succeed, grow, and take pride when a young person or even an aging relic reaches out and asks for some time. I learn more from them than I believe they get from me, a win/win conversation. Those chats provide a rue for the next day’s soup; I love talking to strangers. If you are a young man, woman, transgender, or unicorn, reach out to those in your industry that are successful. Pick their brains; they will open their minds and hearts to you.
When I was a young man, I reached out to elders in my industry and clients who seemed to kick ass. I would take them to lunch and pick their brains. One man, in particular, was Dave Ross. Dave was a friend of my father; he had a successful company. We went to lunch, and he shared that you could only have so many pairs of shoes, eat so much steak, and enjoy the material possessions to a point. Life was more significant than that, and he encouraged me to look past wealth and search for something bigger; I did, and here you have the result of Dave’s advice.
Don’t get me wrong; I have well over 100 pair of shoes, I love a good steak, but my focus is not on material possessions; it’s helping others along their success path. That is my job, that is my life, my mission. I still talk to Dave now and then, he became a life long friend, and I’ll never forget him taking the time to mentor young Anson Ross.
My father, another mentor, gave of his time, as did his brother Jake. I was lucky to have multiple men and women teach me how to conduct myself, run a business, and share lessons with others.
Well, I’m in my swimsuit, time to head to the pool and connect with our friends. I hope this message did not trigger you; I hope you can see it’s just my opinion (man). If I did trigger you, might I suggest you work on some anger management? My God, these are words by an old white guy living and loving life, sharing my daily thoughts for my future self. Relax, take it easy.
I’ll pen some more soup tomorrow, work in the morning from our room, then head to the pool; if a client calls, we answer it, we take care of them. We work while on vacation, I think it’s the expectation of our clients. Vacation is essential, it is nice to enjoy your work’s spoils, but still, pay attention to the clients that trust you to manage their risk. -Cheers
“Every person needs to take one day away. A day in which one consciously separates the past from the future. Jobs, family, employers, and friends can exist one day without any one of us, and if our egos permit us to confess, they could exist eternally in our absence. Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted; no solutions searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us.”