“History reveals to us the basic human tendency to permit things of value to Lose their value with the passage of but a little time. To be somewhat more accurate, valuable things do not diminish in value; rather it is our perception of their value that diminishes, and as a consequence, we lose that which we once cherished and admired.” – Ron Reynolds
Happy Monday. I hope you are looking forward to a little warmer more spring like weather this week. I have been having major problems with our email provider based on the size of my Monday emailings. I do send this in the morning but our provider sends the emails out in waves at different times that I can’t control.
The opening quote is from the opening paragraph in the preface of “The Gift” by Ron Reynolds. It’s a story about the commitment to the “pursuit of ones purpose in life”. It was uncanny that right when I started reading “the gift” my ten year old blessed me with one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. It was late one night last week and I was toiling away in my home office. Both my kids were in my office and my 10 year old asked my 14 year old to leave so she could talk to me. Meg, my youngest, has a birthday coming up and she has already told me she wants to use her birthday money to buy her older sister a new Bo staff to compete with. I thought for sure she wanted to make plans to get this done. However, when her sister left she came over and I noticed she had tears in her eyes. She leaned in and gave me hug and whispered in my ear “Dad, I just want to thank you for making my life awesome.” It caught me completely off guard and didn’t take long before she wasn’t the only one in the room with tears in her eyes. As a parent I think one of your main goals is to give your kids a better life then you had. You always wonder if you kids comprehend how fortunate they are. That moment may be hard to understand if you don’t have kids, but for me it will be a moment I will never forget.
In “The gift” Reynolds makes a great point about how we let time destroy our perceived value of things. Ever buy something new you were really excited about? How did you feel about it a month later? A year later? The item probably worked just as well as it did the day you bought it, but it lost its allure and appeal over time. It’s a point I try to make to my home sellers all the time. The home value is what it is however the longer a home sits on the market the lower the Perceived valueis in the market place. After all who wants to buy a home that no one else wants to buy and has been sitting on the market for a year? If you want to sell your house for top dollar price it right and sell it quickly.
It is likely human nature for us to allow time to diminish our perceived value of material things. We always want the newest and greatest. However, I started thinking about how we let time effect other things in our lives. How about relationships? Relationships should grow stronger and more valuable over time but they don’t always. I watched the husband of a newly married couple open a car door for his wife and help her out their SUV the other day. I remember wondering if he will be doing that in a year. In 5 years? In 20 years? Time makes us start taking even relationships for granted. I am guilty. I have been married 17 years and I do a poor job of letting my wife know how much I appreciate her and fortunate I am to share my life with her. Yet early on in our relationship I likely acted differently.
Last week I had two past clients contact me that where looking to move. They both essentially started out the same way with “you probably don’t remember us but we bought a home with you 7 years ago”. Of course I remembered them, yet the perception over time was perhaps we have grown too large or we have too many clients to remember them. It hurt quite frankly to have them start that way. Nothing has changed with my client relationship except the passage of time and their perception of our relationship. I have done a poor job of letting them know how much I value our friendship.
Human nature may diminish our perceived value of materials things over time which is fine. However, it is critical to not let time diminish the value of relationships in our lives. My daughter gave me a gift with a simple sentence whispered in my ear. What would happen if you let the people in your life know how awesome they made your life?
I really appreciate you taking the time to read this. If we have done business in the past know I remember you and am thankful for our relationship. Watch your mail in the coming months for a soon to be planned Fall client appreciation party! Just my way of saying thank you and letting you know I cherish our relationship. Rock it this week my friend. I appreciate you.
Meg, my soon to be 11 year old, is shaving her head again this year to raise money to with St Baldrick’s to fight childhood cancer. If you are inclined to step up and help out your donations are greatly appreciated. Here is the link http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/706092/2014
Monday Morning Mojo 