Good morning! Don’t forget Valentine’s Day is Friday – if you haven’t made plans for your significant other yet, now is the time.
Now that the housekeeping is out of the way, time to get to work. I like to say that one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. Here’s the quote:
“Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.”
— Marilyn vos Savant
This one can be useful in so many different situations. Sometimes your schedule can make it tough to get workouts in for period of time. That’s a temporary defeat. So you can give up, and just become a person who doesn’t take care of themselves as well. Or you can put that temporary defeat behind you and get back to work. Similarly in our professional lives – maybe we make a mistake. Perhaps our work is not properly recognized, or we miss out on a promotion or other opportunity. It’s tough to do in the moment sometimes, but it is important to keep the perspective of time. The next opportunity is coming up, so it is essential to not give up.
This one applies to community associations as well. Sometimes you are a board member or manager taking over after a significant period of inaction. The reserves are not funded, and there are maintenance issues, and you need to do some enforcement, and collections is way behind. Those are all tough, and that is a bad situation. But look at them again. Each of those is only a temporary defeat. Trim the budget a bit. Start funding reserves today. Set out a strict collection policy (and stick to it), and pursue violations with vigor. Do not give up and allow these temporary defeats to become permanent.
I say all the time that I have great respect for the people who volunteer their time to make their community better by serving on the HOA or condo or co-op board. That respect is magnified for those who see the temporary defeats, and then roll up their sleeves and refuse to give up and make those defeats permanent. Today, I vow to not give up in the face of defeat. That’s how I’m starting my week. I invite you to join me – don’t let that one defeat last a lifetime.
Have a great week everybody.