Staying Ahead of the Airplane

Most among us would probably look at 2020 as a challenging year.  I agree.  My Thanksgiving post documented the things I’ll look back on from 2020 in a positive way.  As a longtime pilot, I’ve learned and often repeated (much to my family’s chagrin) the saying “stay ahead of the airplane” which (as one might expect) encourages us to look forward and prepare for the future.

Our near-term futures are a bit uncertain.  Coronavirus still impacts our everyday lives.  The US economy is struggling and many of our businesses are facing challenges never before experienced.  Like most of us, I’m eagerly looking forward to 2021 and here are my “21 wishes” for the new year:

1. that the COVID vaccines will be successful and we’ll put the pandemic behind us;
2. that small business will recover and the number of small business closings will be minimized;
3. that our beloved game of golf will sustain its 2020 COVID growth spike over the long term;
4. that our new President will have a smooth and peaceful transition;
5. that our new President will preside over problem solving success and economic growth and recovery;
6. that each of us will experience good health and prosperity;
7. that my new grandson Orsen (5 weeks) will continue to grow and prosper;
8. that we will continue to develop new and creative ways to practice our profession, serve our clients more effectively and continue our success;
9. that my friend’s wife will experience a speedy recovery;
10. that each of us will respect and listen to one another and learn from our differences;
11. that we’ll all be able to safely gather for the celebrations we’ve all missed this year;
12. that nobody in our great country will go hungry;
13. that everybody will have a roof over their head and a shirt on their back;
14. that everyone’s travels will be safe and fruitful;
15. that our clients will continue to display continued confidence in us;
16. that everyone’s team will play a full schedule and be successful (unless they’re playing against Penn State);
17. that I’ll get to play more golf with my sons and have more laughs with my daughter;
18. that I’ll get to travel more with my bride;
19. that my golf game will resemble “the Larry of Old” instead of “Old Larry”;
20. that I’ll get to play with my grandson more frequently;
21. that we’ll all look back on 2020 as a (costly) learning experience and become more adaptable.

Happy New Year Everyone!