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Life is good when you know who you are.
I’m writing this on the eve of my 42nd birthday and I’m glad I could share this with you. You see, I do much of my work alone, in the seclusion of a darkened office with only the faint hum of a computer in the background to keep me company. My wife and son are blissfully asleep some twenty floors above me in our apartment overlooking a gorgeous golf course and The Atlantic Ocean.
If I were the kind of person who uses dates and milestones to take stock of his life, I would be pleased with where I am right now. I’ve had three distinct careers with a common thread running through all of them. That thread is the building of a business through observation and action. For most of my working life (to this point), I built a business for someone else. Now I build my business by helping others build their businesses (law firms). I love what I do.
When people ask me how I want to spend my next 42 years I tell them there are four things I want to do as often as possible:
Spend time laughing with my friends.
Spend time loving my family.
Spend time helping those who ask for it.
Spend time winning at everything I do.
The fourth one may sound a little strange. If it does, I understand. That is the beauty of self awareness.
Each one of us is wired a certain way. We have certain innate qualities. Just like some people are born with a phenomenal ear for music. Or others are born with the ability to draw or paint. I was born with, among other things, a very strong competitive drive. I am wired to see everything as a win/lose proposition. It is not something I can turn off.
Many people find this quality distasteful because it means I encourage and facilitate the demise of people who want to take away my clients. This competitive drive is actually a tremendous gift because it keeps me highly motivated. It forces me into a state of constant effort. While others sleep, I work. While others vacation, I work. While others stay in bed with a cold, I work. I work smart and I work hard and if I don’t know something I figure it out…quickly.
So what does this mean for you?
If you read the things I write, listen to the audio files I produce, or watch the videos I make, you can be certain I will give you the best advice possible on law firm marketing, practice management, productivity improvement and business strategy. If you turn to me for help, I will do everything possible to help you succeed.
If you are my friend, I am with you until the end. I like you and you have my loyalty forever.
If you are family you get the best I have to offer. You get my love, my money and my affection (although not necessarily in that order).
And if you are my competitor, well, you are on notice. I am coming for you and I will not stop until you find something else to do.
That is how I will spend the next 42 years. I will love. I will laugh. I will help and I will win.
Life is good when you know who you are.
Thank you for sharing a portion of the first 42 years with me. I look forward to continuing the journey with you by my side.