If money were no object, what would you give this Christmas??

Christmas in Charleston. 

If I could use one word to describe my writing style, it would be erratic. But that is because I’m an erratic person – I’m spontaneous in a sense. Others might describe me as having a mild case of ADD - whatever. Anyhow, I never feel compelled to change that, to cage my ‘creativity’, when I’m forging through a blog post, but tonight is different. Tonight, perhaps by divine intervention to teach me the art of brevity and succinctness, I don’t have much time to devote toward this post.

Here’s topic:  If money were no object, what would be the perfect gift? Whether it’s for yourself or for somebody else, what thing would you give that you won’t or can’t give now?

So here goes… shooting for 200 words and a complete, coherent thought.

I can’t help but not mention Office Space here. But I’d hate to use up the extent of my 200 word limit describing the scene, so here you go.

Peter Gibbons: Our high school guidance counselor used to ask us what you'd do if you had a million dollars and you didn't have to work. And invariably what you'd say was supposed to be your career. So, if you wanted to fix old cars you're supposed to be an auto mechanic.

Samir: So what did you say?

Peter Gibbons: I never had an answer. I guess that's why I'm working at Initech.

I’m not going holier than thou on this post, saying material possessions matter not to me. Unless you’re a Nepalese monk, that statement holds no credibility to me. Everyone cares to a certain degree about material wealth. But I AM a firm believer that consuming experiences is more important than amassing possessions.

By the time I had earned my learner’s permit to drive car, I had tasted the cool-aid of being an entrepreneur. I had a lawn business that made more money than I could rightfully spend.  I had grown up the only child of an entrepreneur, and when I wasn't working or practicing sports, my dad was teaching me the capitals of the world (I knew all of SA, Europe and parts of Asia by 10). I learned of multi-cultural business customs, the art negotiation, and the value of dreaming big. I learned that “if a frog had wings, it wouldn’t bump its ass so much.” In other words, there are certain things in life that cannot be controlled, but our attitude will determine the outcome even when things seem impossible. He taught me that we hold the key that opens both the door to success and failure because they are the same door…Success is just a few more feet beyond the threshold than failure.

These are lessons I learned. And when my dad and I would dream of the success we would attain, what I always valued higher than the cars, houses, rounds of golf in exotic locations, etc was dreaming of the satisfaction of knowing that despite the odds, the naysayers, the slip ups, and the failures (learning experiences), we made it… together.

It is that moment that I would give. It is that embrace as a family and as business that I strive each day to attain. That moment in history when the stars align, and we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we paid honor to our lives and those that made them possible. That we lived unafraid of the uncertainty, and we came out on top.

However, no price would I pay even if I possessed all the wealth in the world to take a shortcut to reach it, for a shortcut would undermine all the true value of that it holds. 

A very Merry Christmas to all, and may you and your family be blessed this coming New Year.

-Jamey


PS, I didn't make the 200 word limit, but, at least I tried... and was pretty close. Read more Let's Blog Off Posts Here!! They're all very much worth it.