In a New York Minute!

If you are like me sometimes you hear a song and it makes ya think!  This morning on the treadmill I was watching Hell Freezes Over by The Eagles and heard the song "In a New York Minute."

The next line is "everything can change"

The next "things can get pretty strange."

How 'bout you, have you had your New York Minute?

It's interesting how you can grow so comfortable that you think you are simply settled in for a lifetime and then something changes and down the bunny trail you go!

The other interesting thing, that its not just one thing, it effects your whole world.  Nothing is left the same.  Every day you uncover one more thing that requires a redo! Career, family, health, everything takes a right or left turn and you wonder if you can get back to that wonderful "normal" feeling again.

Hard work and an uncertain future awaits you!

For me, I could feel the winds of change, however I did not prepare and take action.  I let it hit me like a ton of bricks!

Consider this...most likely a "New York Minute" will head your way and it's gonna rock your world.

Embrace the rebuild, simply because it will suck to bad if you don't!

I'm not sure where my New York Minute is taking me however I'm paying attention and not going to let me end up on some train track lost forever!

Hoping its only a minute and not an hour!

Enjoy your week and watch the time!

NobleOne

What's "Noble" about The Noblemen!

Many companies struggle with their brand.  Over 20 years I invested a considerable amount of time with close friends and meeting new ones.  We worked together to help local kids in need, making a difference in their lives as well as our own.

You see there will "always" be kids in need; however the real "nobility" resides in the helping.

Our brand was "Helping Kids. And Changing Lives.  The period and the capital A was by intention.You see it was our lives that were changed, not necessarily the ones we helped.

After our first Trolley ride in 1995 we arrived back at Jungle Golf amazed that we clearly made a difference.  We started out at what I would call "obligatory philanthropy."  There was money in our account and we were obligated to spend it on something worthwhile.

What happened truly exceeded our expectations and we realized we possessed a new skill that none of us had explored in the past!  Giving with no agenda!  It changed my life that night as well as those that shared it with me.

We took our enthusiasm over to Tautogs with lighted cigars because you smoke a cigar when its time to celebrate a new birth.  That birth was "Nobility" and we proved it was infectious and viral amongst our friends and fellow Noblemen.

That my friends is really what started The Noblemen and why it continues today!

NobleOne

Family

My Uncle Ralph use to tell me that at one time our family occupied a very large portion of the Outer banks however nobody claimed to be kin!

Sometimes family is hard work and other times it's your only foundation.  Over these many years I've come to realize and appreciate the importance of family!

Family can just be three or spread across many friends.  I have been blessed with great friends that I consider family and will be by their side for as long as they'll let me.

My "Noble Years" took precedence over my marriage and I made decisions based on "what could be more important than helping kids?"  I've come to realize that my priorities needed adjusting.

Family is comprised of many moving parts, all connected like gears in an engine.  If one gets misaligned or out of sync it effects the whole operation and efficiency.

At one time I had more cousins than I could keep track of and greatly enjoyed gatherings that celebrated everything from Thanksgiving to high tide.  Those times are gone and a part of my life went with it.

Family like friends require an investment and the returns sometimes try your patience! Never the less its simply what you do!

I can't mention family if I don't include the "pets."  I am blessed with a black lab whose love has no boundaries.  A stable full of horses and a few barn cats top off our farm family that can lift the spirits of a dark day and provide a quiet calming assurance that the world is indeed worth living in.

I know that there are many folks that consider family a burden and not worthy of their time.  In some cases I'm confident there are better paths; however families can be built with folks that don't necessarily have to be related.

This world is not always the easiest place to reside.   At the end of the day I'm fortunate to go home to a wife that loves me and to be greeted by a dog that never seems to have a bad day!

How 'bout you?  Where does family fit in to your priorities?

NobleOne