Focus on this in 2019
Two nights ago I rang in the New Year alone in a hotel in a small, rural town in Upstate New York instead of spending the evening celebrating with my wife, friends, or family.
How did I end up there?
Six years ago my old college town Oneonta, NY reached out with an offer to perform at their First Night celebration, and they’ve invited me back every year since.
It’s always a blast, but each of the past few years I considered dropping it.
While I love the audience, I don’t enjoy driving out of state and staying overnight on New Year’s. Furthermore, I always end up turning down offers to perform at private events close to home for double or sometimes triple the money. To make matters worse, even though Lindsey usually comes with me, this year she was working and unable to make it.
So why did I do it again?
Simple: Trust.
Your Most Valuable Asset
The biggest lesson I learned in 2018 was the value of trust in this new connection economy. Trust cannot be bought the way advertisers used to buy attention via commercials and direct mailings. People are not so easily duped in the age of information.
No, trust must be earned, nurtured, re-earned.
The town of Oneonta has been loyal to me for six consecutive years. It would be a huge mistake to sacrifice their trust in exchange for short term gain.
Success in life and in business is built on relationships, perhaps more than ever. The more trust you earn, the more opportunities present themselves.
In 2019, let’s use those opportunities not to cash in on trust, but instead to double down on it. I have a feeling we will all come out ahead.
Thank you for trusting me, and Happy New Year.
~Brian
