Is it time for your Reflection Tour?

If you are under 40, you may want to take a pass on this one, as you may think the article is more appropriate for those of us that are a bit more chronologically gifted (politically correct for older folks). For those of us with a little more mileage on the tires, the question "Is it time for your Reflection Tour?" is a good one.

I retired from my CEO role at LeasePlan USA on January 1, 2017. I chased someone else's number (units, quota, growth, net income) as a measure of success for 38 years. But on January 2, 2017 the only number that defined my success, as I tanned on a beach in St. Thomas, was how many margaritas I could handle without embarassing my wife. (I did just fine).

While the first few months were a bit of a struggle (people don't return your emails and phone calls like they used to, no stressing over the marketing spend, and no customer issues to worry about, etc), I soon got into a healthy routine. 

In the spring of 2017, my older brother Danny (pictured) and I had the opportunity to visit our birth state of Louisiana. The trip was about visiting a family friend, George Maitre, that had been like a second father to Danny and I. Mr. George was recovering from a stroke, and we were going to have the opportunity to help in the recovery process, which certainly meant beer, crawfish and crabs. We spent hours talking about life in our old neighborhood, an area that was since decimated by Katrina. Our discussions however, were all around the good times.

As fate would have it, as I prepared for the trip, another opportunity presented itself. I was invited by Jo Pease, the founder of Louisiana Youth Seminar and Gina Guzzino, a fellow delegate in 1975, to attend the kickoff for the 2017 event on LSU's Baton Rouge campus. The rush of greeting more than 300 high school juniors and seniors for this leadership seminar was exhilarating. I stood in this same place 42 years prior and was blessed with leadership lessons by Jo Pease, Senator John Breaux and other people that I had never met that were willing to invest in my development. I often call this one of the most important weeks of my youth. The program is exceptional and is approaching 50 years of excellence under the leadership of Jo Pease.

I was posting a picture of Jo, Gina and I on FB, when an invitation to see a comedy show in Thibodeaux, Louisiana popped up for Mutzie! Mutzie just happens to be the guy that was my back up at quarterback at Chalmette High School in 1976. Ironically, I had been promising to surprise Mutzie (a.k.a Daniel Forrester) at one of his stand up comedy shows for more than five years. I made the drive, heckled him from the back for a minute or two, and he busted me and brought me on stage. Mutzie, happens to be a family friendly comedian, a Christian, and a guy that has fed thousands of hungry kids in the Bahamas. He is a regular performer for a major cruise ship line, and convinces passengers to donate money to help feed students with pizzas when the ship docks in a local port. I am so incredibly proud of this good man and humanitarian. I am humbled by his good works.

This trip was an amazing opportunity to reflect on my life, and of course my many blessings. I drove through the college campus where I spent four amazing years as an undergraduate at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL then, ULL now). I drove by the business where I closed my very fist sale in 1981, and remembered the thrill of calculating my first earned commission ($75 on my first postage meter rental with Pitney Bowes). I checked out my very first home (still there), a 1,400 square foot, three bedroom, one bath, wood frame, that I bought for $1,200 ( because of the fire), and moved it four miles to another lot (on the back of an 18 wheeler). Yes, that's a true story. I spent time with a man now eighty years old, that was always a friend to our entire family, and was always there in good times and in bad. I got to thank him for the role model that he was, and he still is. 

And lastly, I had the opportunity to spend time with my older brother Danny. He is my Superman. We laughed, we reminisced, we talked about our time as a family. My mother, my father, the oldest of the three sons, have already passed on. Danny and I are the only two left of the Pitcher family on Benjamin Street, in Arabi, Louisiana. We spent time together walking down memory lane, and the journey was amazing. I got the opportunity to tell my big brother how much he has positively influenced my life, and what he has meant to me.

My reflection tour was rejuvenating and energizing. And that reflection was good for my soul.

I have a dear friend that always reminds me, "never forget where you came from." And this reflection tour insured that I did not forget. This was just what I needed at 59 years old. I have been blessed abundantly, and for those blessings I am thankful. But I also realized there is more to be done. There are so many opportunities to do good works. I saw first hand that so many people put the needs of others first, and I thank them (Danny, Mr. George, Mutzie, Jo and Gina) for their example. It's time for me to be a better man.

So, is it time for your reflection tour? If so, it's a very valuable trip!