Sunday Morning Reflections: Nothing Trumps Friendships!

There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven't yet met.
William Butler Yeats 

​I'm laughing as I write this, because recently I was doing a podcast in which we were going to use the word "trumps" as a verb. However, a good friend who's not happy with the word as a proper noun asked me to change it. Well, political races be damned this morning, because it's just the right word. LOL

Five minutes ago I was on "Messenger" with my buddy Steve Rosenbaum. After being friends for close to thirty years, we finally made it a point to get out to dinner last week at IUSA and get some quality time. In fact, that was the theme this year for me at IUSA. While there were a lot of people I missed, I got time with the most people I've ever caught up to at a convention.

Technically it's called "networking", but it goes so much deeper than that. Scott Stratten in UnMarketing talks about the importance of relationship building, and I've mentioned the book many times before. But in all honesty, not until this morning did it hit me how we all get so off track with our focus on business and forget about what it takes to get every job done - relationships.

I'm not just defining the word "job" as a component of a business, but everything that goes into that smile you should be waking up with every morning. It doesn't matter what your religious beliefs might be; we're all here for some higher purpose other than just using up oxygen.

This past week I caught up to so many friends. The trip started off with lunch with Joan Whitman Hoff, her husband, Stephen and son Charles and just kept going. I've admitted I'm the industry's biggest lunch slut, but it goes so far beyond that. I caught up to old friends and new ones, even Facebook friends who helped "free" me during the Skip's Not Your Real Name crisis! 

So, here's the point - the trade show and convention season for our industry is just getting started. Make it a point to do some planning in advance. Don't let a meal go by without friends around the table. NEVER eat a meal alone! And, if you plan in advance, you'll find you stay in touch even more because you're looking forward to catching up.

"There are some people in life that make you laugh a little louder,
smile a little bigger and live just a little bit better."
Unknown

To all of you who have become friends over the years, whether we've stayed in touch or not, thank you for making my life richer! And, to you, my readers, thank you for your friendship and support. Make it a great Sunday. Let your friends know they're important to you and go for those eleven-second hugs with those people most special to you!

Photo Credit: Matt Meiers redefines the "selfie with a fish-eye. What a kick!