Hey it’s me again. The not-so-traveling salesman checking in since I last blogged in October. We are still in this muck, but things did loosen up a bit late fall last year, and I did get out to see some clients. Thanksgiving came around and we started to see a spike - so many clients rightfully stopped allowing visitors. See you next year…?

So with that said, I/we have pretty much been grounded again at this point. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I am looking forward to getting to the other side of this. As I wrote last year, I woke up at times cranky and frustrated but not sure why. That has dissipated. I realize now that it was a gut punch for all of us and it takes time to adjust and refocus.

As we approach a year plus into this pandemic, I decided to reflect and jot down what was good from the past year, rather than what I lost last year. How about what I gained?

At Boston Centerless, we have a mantra T.I.T.E (Trustworthy, Initiative, Team First and Excellence) that we push on a daily basis. Our Sales Director challenged us with a project late last year to take these words and reflect on them. We broke down each word with “What does this value mean to you?” and “How do you model this value?” We had a virtual roundtable once a month to discuss each one. At first, I am thinking, “great homework”. I sound like one of kids, but I dove into the assignment and started to see this could be beneficial. During these discussions, lots of great input and feedback was shared amongst the group, and I came away with numerous takeaways. “Be Invested,” “Team Player,” “Be Resourceful,” and “Take Ownership.” The one that stuck with me the most was “Self-Awareness” and how this pandemic clouded that. So while reflecting on the past year, I went back to the quote “Everyone overestimates what you can do in a day and underestimates what you can do over the course of months or a year.” This assignment has helped me become more focused again, and I believe the team members took away some valuable lessons personally and professionally.

• My dad punched cancer in the mouth this past year and won this round.
• Our kids and family are healthy, happy and learning that Zoom calls will work for now.
• I learned how to shoot a compound bow (not for hunting purposes – for fun).
• My wife and I have become better cooks. With my being around a lot more, we have raised our culinary skills.
• My wood workshop is open and many projects have come thru. Built some Adirondack chairs, birdhouses, Christmas yard fixtures, benches and some rustic deer.
• My wife collects sea glass, and I found a beach 20 minutes away that is loaded with sea glass. Big score for me!
• We appreciate the wildlife in our backyard. We have deer, fox, rabbits, hawk and all kinds of other colorful birds. We have a trail camera set up for great photos and feed our friends quite well.
• I learned to appreciate and thank everyone that is working hard and hustling to make ends meet during these tumultuous times.

My 2021 goals are: keep it simple, hugs with my loved ones, keep supporting small businesses, keep laughing at myself and with others, continue to be appreciative of what I have every day, a firm handshake with our clients, and of course, hitting my sales number for the year.

Please continue to be safe, and I will see you all soon. T.I.T.E.