Looking back

Sometimes it is healthy to look back at your life. You don’t want to dwell there too long, but looking back in many cases brings a new appreciation to the present.

In my office, I have five little pieces of paper over my desk that were the 90 day goals for the five people involved with our company when I came on full time in May of 2007. I had just left my real job with a large company and loaded up my boxes and came to our little office on the McDonough Square. At the time, it was a pure land sale business, but we had dreams of starting a small hotel brokerage firm. Selling hotels was all I knew, and when I joined full time, we started the process of shifting to hospitality sales. That time was very scary for me, but it was also very special. We met for lunch the first day and I asked each person to list out their personal objectives for the next 90 days.

As I look at those five pieces of paper today, it almost brings tears to my eyes at the humble beginnings of Hotel AG nine years ago. I knew what I hoped the company would look like but getting all the pieces in place was a difficult undertaking.

What I am saying is that to go back and look at pictures or writings of your past can help balance you and can many times give you the needed perspective for your future. You do not want to dwell on the past to the point of losing your hope for the future by thinking all the best of your life has passed. Rather, looking at where you came from to get to where you are today can many times be a healthy exercise. Keep in mind that many of the inventions, start-ups, concepts and business ideas we use today were invented by people later in their life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself.” KT

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