Alan Fox

This past weekend we celebrated Mother’s Day, and for the first time in two years Daveen and I held a real party at our home.  There were almost fifteen of us, eating, laughing, and sharing stories for five or six hours on a pleasant Sunday afternoon.

Our last two parties, planned before the beginning of the Pandemic, had to be cancelled.  The first, a retirement party for a long-term and valued employee was scheduled for Saturday, March 14, 2020.  My 80^th birthday bash, scheduled one week later, was also cancelled. Little did we know at the time that many parties and other social gatherings, would be “on hold” for a full two years.

So are we back to (a new) normal now?

I hope so, but there are no guarantees.

For me, the primary lesson from this experience is – and I repeat myself — there are no guarantees.  We never know what tomorrow might, or might not, bring, which is why it’s vital to wring the most meaning and enjoyment out of life today.

Even though it’s not January 1st, I feel it’s an appropriate time for a resolution.

My resolution?  Today counts.  There are no throwaways.  If it’s really important to me, I’ll do it today.  (Unless a task with a closer deadline intervenes.)

Like many of us, I respond best to deadlines.  I have many projects I realize I’ll never even begin, simply because I don’t have the incentive of a deadline.

Friends often ask me, “How is your writing going?”

I’m embarrassed to report that the only writing I consistently complete is my blog, as well as business letters that must be sent out immediately.  My “Great American Novel” is still trapped in my subconscious, perhaps never to be released. Unless…

This is starting to seem like a pep talk to myself.

I hope it works.

I’ll let you know next week.

Alan

Most of life is a stroll.

Isn’t that what we do?  Move around, take in the sights, buy some groceries.

Part of life is a leap.

We all have aspirations, goals we seek to achieve. Graduate from school, find a better job, or move to a nicer home.

And all of life is a dig.  Because aren’t we always searching for our authentic selves?

This quest to understand ourselves happens automatically.   Sooner or later, we figure out that we like, dislike, or are indifferent to action movies, hamburgers, or long driving trips.  We realize that we prefer going to the beach over reading a book.  Our breakfast of choice is one egg, over easy, and a slice of toast.  Buttered.

After all of this, we decide, consciously or not, how selective we will be in revealing who we really are to others.

“Of course, I like braised rabbit backs,” I found myself saying to a friend, after she presented, proudly, and I tasted, tentatively, the dish she had prepared for dinner.  But my “belt buckle” revealed my true preference when I stopped at a McDonalds on the way home.  (See my People Tools books regarding “Belt Buckle,” Patterns Persist,” and other life techniques I have found useful.)

Years ago, I read a humorous adage, “Life is hard, and then you die.”

Well, life certainly can be hard, but it can also be rewarding –especially as we realize, and accept, who we really are.

Whew!  That’s enough digging for one morning.

Alan

I’ve often been asked, “What can I do to be successful in business?

My answer has evolved over time, but my basic message is simple:  Add value.

What can you do with a pen and a sheet of paper?  Write the Constitution of the United States, or a poem, or a love letter.  What can you do with metal, cloth, and glass?  Build an automobile.  What can you do with your time?  Hopefully, an activity that will add value to your own life as well as to the lives of others.

One of the best examples I know of a person who adds value to everything he does is Tim Green, the editor of the poetry journal Rattle.  Tim is often asked, about the size of his staff at Rattle.  College-sponsored literary journals might have as many as a dozen employees. But the staff of Rattle consists of just two people. Tim and his wife.

I can’t even begin to list all the value Tim adds to Rattle.  Everyone who reads it should realize that Tim is not just the editor.  He is the subscription department, the submission department, the advertising department, and every other department that is needed.

Rattle has as many as 150,000 poems submitted each year.  Tim and his staff of one narrow this number to about 600, and every three weeks it is my pleasure to meet with Tim to review thirty or forty of the poems that he and his staff like best.  They add value.

But adding value doesn’t just apply to being successful in business. You can also add value to people around you every day. Why not say a kind word to the checker at the grocery store or give the person delivering your package a smile? Why not do something extra nice for your loved ones for no reason other than because you love them and want to add value to their lives (as well as your own).

On a personal note, I always feel happy (and sometimes relieved) when I finish my weekly blog, which I have written regularly for more than eight years. I hope my work adds value to your life, as it does to mine.

I wish you a week filled with added value.

Alan