SteveBuelow.com

Here’s to my old friends… and my new.

One of the great things I love about traveling at this time of year is that you can leave a place like Wisconsin in March, literally freezing your tail – snow on the ground, and really rough sledding at times – and then return home home just days or weeks later to warmth… sunshine… and Spring.

Maybe it’s just the extreme jolt of Vitamin D, but I’ve noticed that people tend to be way happier when they’re warmer. And I guess that’s why I like to spend as much time in Southern California as possible.

Of course, politics and taxes and homeschool regulations have kept me from TRULY spending as much time as possible – by just moving there… but I digress.

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So, we travel. And as we do, it seems there are few places where I don’t run into someone who is either an old friend, or a new friend who feels like an old friend after spending a short time together.

Such was the case on this most recent trip. On the way home earlier today, I ran into a guy I’ve known since grade school, but whom I haven’t seen in about 30 years. On the outbound trip, I sat with an individual I hadn’t seen in about a decade.

The differences were stark… and I don’t think it just had to do with the Sun Vitamin or the weather.

No, the difference was an attitude and a life view that kept one family together… and drove another apart. One very positive… and the other highly negative. One faithful… the other hopeless. One full of responsibility… another full of blame.

Even with the extremes, it was good to see these old friends… and certainly enlightening also.

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And then there was the fun part.

The 12-15 people I met along the way who were filled with passion, full of life and hope and dreams for things bigger than themselves… those committed to making a difference in the lives of others… who are stretching WAY outside their comfort zones to affect MEANINGFUL change in their own lives, and the world around them.

Over the next few months and years, some will certainly become dear friends… some will no doubt become business associates on one level or another… and several will likely be both.

I look forward to these new relationships with them, and to sharing some additional details and practical applications with you… next time.

Questions:

Who are the last fifteen people who have come into your life unexpectedly or without effort on your part? Write them down.

What could you do for them in the next two weeks that would be remarkable, or add to the value of their lives… and for which they could not pay you back?

What would it cost? What resources would you need? Will you do it?

I look forward to speaking with you soon!

Photo Credit:

Jurvetson