Strengthen Relationships on St. Patrick's Day

Each year, we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, a day of unity and coming together to enjoy each other’s company. While some do take it to an extreme, I personally believe that the day is primarily about strengthening our connections with business colleagues, friends and family.

Historically speaking, the first St. Patrick’s Day (as we know it) was held in Boston, in 1737. In Ireland, it was a religious holiday, with the first Irish parade not being held until 1903. For the majority of it’s existence outside of old Eire, it’s been an occasion to get together and reminisce about the Old Country, wherever that may be for you. As time went on and more and more people began to travel, the Old Country in question could change from Ireland, to France, Spain, even as far as Russia or Asia. Apparently, St. Patrick’s Day in Tokyo features free pints of Jameson, a whiskey. They go hard out there.

The simple notion of coming together is one that is often forgotten, especially with today’s hectic lifestyle. That’s why I’ve made it a point to spend my St. Patrick’s day contacting old business colleagues, friends and family members to catch up. Depending on where they (and I!) are, it varies from a simple email to meeting up in a bar or pub to listen in on a musical session, but I want to reach out to important people and make sure they know that they’re important to me.

Both in business and your personal life, you should remember that your connections are the most important thing you can have. If you don’t tend to them, they wither away and can be lost, and you could lose important opportunities and, more importantly, valuable friendships.

I believe that no one succeeds on their own. You need a team, whether it’s family, close friends or trusted employees. If it can be a combination of the three, so much the better. 

This is why I believe that Saint Patrick’s Day best exemplifies my beliefs, in both personal and professional terms.