In this new year, we’ve already experienced several bittersweet moments. Some things are ending, and some things are just beginning.
I’m seeing it in my personal life. My father’s 80th birthday is this month — February 22, specifically. My wife and I are spending a lot of time organizing a surprise dinner party for him, which entails picking a venue, menu, list of guests, and so on. We’re even getting in touch with all of his school friends to see if they can attend.
It’s refreshing to see so many old buddies of my father’s ready to come celebrate such a major occasion. I know getting older is bittersweet, but I’m hoping that my dad’s 80th birthday is a new beginning that’s ushering in another great phase of his life.
In terms of my health, I decided to give up alcohol for the month of January. I was tempted once or twice to crack open a bottle, but I stuck with it. Aside from the obvious benefits of abstaining, the other benefit was that it kept me from snacking. Typically, when I sit down for a beer or whiskey, I tend to want something to go with it, like a bag of crisps. Without the alcohol last month, I found myself less likely to reach for snacks. This decision helped with my health and vitality, and I’m seriously thinking about sticking with it. It’s definitely a new beginning that hopefully leads to a longer and more vibrant life.
In my professional life, there’s another new beginning. Last summer, I connected with somebody on LinkedIn who seemed like a promising contact. We said we’d have a chat and see if there was any synergy between our businesses, but we never quite got together. Then, over Christmas, I sent out a broadcast email to contacts, prospects, and customers to wish everyone a happy New Year and Christmas. I got a lot of personal replies to that, which turned out to be a really nice surprise. Among the people who responded was a very nice lady named Rachel, the LinkedIn connection I attempted to meet last summer. She said she’d been meaning to follow up with me, so we finally went and had a coffee in early January. Rachel manages a network of building contractors and gets a lot of inquiries from people after they’ve sustained damage to their property.
During our brief meeting, we decided to combine her company’s building skills with my insurance skills — and just like that, my business took on four or five new instructions just a few days after! I have to say, I’ve had dozens of such meetings over the years that never amounted to anything. Somehow, this one just clicked into place. What an exciting new beginning for both of our businesses!
Obviously there’s been some positive stuff associated with the new year, but I was very sad to hear the news about David Bowie. At the time of this writing, he passed away just a few days ago. I grew up a big fan of his music. He was a fellow London boy, a key part of my musical upbringing, and astonishingly, the name of the new single off his last album is my surname, “Lazarus.” The whole thing has felt very personal to me.
And it really hit home how much of an impact he left on the world. As of the new year, I made a commitment to work out much more regularly than I did last year. I’ve even got a personal trainer to slap me into shape, and I go down to the gym every week now. Shortly after Bowie’s passing, I was at the gym working out, looking at the four TVs on the wall. Three of them — on three different channels — were showing Bowie.
The loss of David Bowie is a bittersweet moment, without a doubt. All good things must come to an end, but fortunately, we can appreciate that Bowie was a massive positive influence on me and so many others. His music lives on, and he will continue to serve as an example of how to live a great life. I think we should all strive to leave a legacy like his.
Best Wishes,
Steve Lazarus
