Holiday Greetings:

Tis the season, right?  Regardless of your faith, political leaning or status in life, we ALL laugh and smile.  Here’s a “collection” of tried-and-true, recently experienced or happenings that brighten my day.  I bet one or two will do the same for you.

Your challenge?  Create your own list and put a smile back on that dour face;)!!

• “Let’s be realistic and do the impossible.”   -  Mauricio Pochettino
• Big Daddy Clarence Clemons playing the bass saxophone solo in Jungleland.  Gets me every time!  (Beethoven’s Ode to Joy!  His 5^th symphony or piano concerto, Santana’s Jingo or Soul Sacrifice, you get it!)
• Paul Crume’s Christmas column.  The Dallas Morning News publishes this every year (thank you!) and I read it every year, even though he passed away 50 years ago.  If you don’t smile and perhaps shed a tiny tear, you need a transfusion.  BTW, there’s a link to it in my P.S.!
• “Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it.  Boldness has genius, magic and power in it.  Begin it now!”  - Goethe
• A prospect you’ve been hoping to partner with finally saying, “Yes!”  I often find a successful sale even more satisfying than the associated commission!  Then again, any commission brings a smile to my face, too.
• A surprise ending.  To a movie, book, play, whatever.  When I say to myself (or bride or colleague), “I didn’t see that coming!”, it will be with a grin.
• “The problem is never how to get new, innovative ideas into your mind, but how to get the old ones out!”  - Dee Hock
• Another 60+ yard field goal!  (Are you kidding me?!)
• “The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and we miss it, but that we aim too low and we make it!”  - Michelangelo
• Someone lets you “in” congested traffic.
• Captain Lee’s Salmon recipe or Sambo’s Swordfish recipe?  I go back-and-forth yet neither ever fails to delight.  (If you want, I’ll gladly share!  Just let me know.)
• “Give customers more of what they say they want and less of what you think they need!”  - Al Ries and Jack Trout
• An unexpected encounter with someone you’ve not seen in ages.  We’ve all shared this experience – it’s as if No Time has passed at all.  How amazing and fun!
• Routines that work!  For example, every few years I buy lined 3” X 5” note cards from the Levenger Company.  I customize them with my contact information at the top.  When I have a brainstorm (rarely) or tell someone I’ll do “X”, I jot a note to myself, so I don’t forget.  I’ve been doing this for ages; long before one could take “notes” on their phone.  This “routine” works very well for me!  Plus, it can double as a biz card when needed.  What’s your favorite routine?
• When you are meeting someone for lunch or a meeting and both of you arrive at the exact same time.
• Filling an inside straight in poker, or even better, getting the one card that creates a “Big Bug” when playing gin rummy.  Is anything finer?
• An early flight arrival when you have a short connection!
• As long as we’re traveling, Upgrades to 1^st Class!
• “Hire people who treat the switchboard operator as friendly as they’ll treat the managing director.”   - Sir Richard Branson
• Dick Van Dyke’s 100^th birthday was on December 13, 2025!

This list could go on and on ….

Let me wrap up with one last reminder:  Your attitude (smiling, laughing, your response to whatever the WoRLd has to offer) is your choice.  I have no doubt you will choose wisely!

Heartfelt Holiday Wishes to all!

P.S.  Link to the Crume Christmas column HERE