Have a Nice Day

“Have a Nice Day!” was one of my Granny’s favorite sayings.  One year ago today, my Granny passed away in India where she was born and raised her 3 children.  Granny was a very special person and made a huge impact on me and many other people.   She was a “glass half full” person even though she probably didn’t know what that meant.  She was always in a good mood and the life of a party.  I was blessed to have her meet our kids and attend our wedding.   Every single person that had the privilege of meeting her would always tell me how incredible she was and fed off of her positive energy.  My friends would call her “Granny” and always ask about her when we talked.  In Gainesville, I would come back to the dorm with her famous potato/meat patties and they would be gone in a day.   We all have special people in our lives that have a positive influence on us and for me my granny was one of those people.

Memories

I have very fond memories of my Granny.  She use to take a nap everyday in the afternoon, sometimes I would lay next to her on her bed and she would tell me stories about her childhood, my grandfather, (who passed away when I was very young) and about my mom and her two brothers.  Granny use to teach mentally challenged kids and she always talked about how much she enjoyed teaching those kids and all of the things she taught them and they taught her.  She also would tell me stories about how my grandfather would stop off at the outdoor fish market or bakery on his way home and bring the family fresh fish and bake goods for dinner.  She always spoke very highly of all of the people in her life.

In Montreal, in my early years, I use to share a huge bed with my Granny and two brothers.  Another funny thing I remember is how she always wanted her food nice and hot and she loved going to KFC and pizza.   She would always ask for a 7-UP (her favorite beverage) even if we only had Sprite. (I guess branding works)  Whenever she would head out with her friends for a little gambling, my mom would give her a “gambling allowance,” but I would always sneak her a extra $20 and she would be so happy.  She also loved playing the Florida Lottery Bingo scratch off which I tried to buy for her whenever I went out and I often times found miss-scratched numbers on her scorecard and we laughed about it together.   Her bedroom was always filled with pictures of her family, grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Her Spirit Lives On

Each and every day I try to live life to the fullest and always stay positive and remember how blessed I am to be alive and healthy with great family and friends.  I can honestly say that not a day goes by that I don’t think about my Granny and her positive spirit and all of the ways she impacted me.  She was a very special person and I miss her very much, but know that she will always be with me in spirit.  In fact, I believe she reads all of my blogs. : )

I miss you and love you very much Granny, thank you for all that you have instilled in me and our family.

Love,

Your Grandson Rustam

I recently finished reading the book:  Vital Friends by Tom Rath.  With the Holidays upon us, this is a great time to recap this book and share some of the insights I received from the book.  The book is basically about recognizing the importance of friends in your life and at the office.  Tom intricately describes how certain friends have an impact on your life and the ability to fulfill your needs and wants.

The Divorce

Tom tells a story about a friend who was on the verge of getting divorced.  This lady who was considering divorce was happy with her husband, but was missing something from the relationship and she blamed it on him.  He apparently listened to her about her work and interests, but never engaged her to discuss it further.  She thought that this was a void in their marriage and decided to discuss the divorce option.  Thankfully they decided to seek council and eventually she realized that not one single person is suppose to understand or engage you fully, but that different people fill different roles in your life to satisfy certain needs.  She started to discuss her work with another friend of hers and realized that her husband was her “Soul Mate” but didn’t need to fill every need in her life.  They eventually worked through this and improved their marriage considerably.

Office Friendships

This book continues to give numerous examples of how friendships in the office lead to a stronger team dedicated and connected to the overall vision of the company.  Friends encourage each other and support one another in times of need.  Do you have any friends at the office?  When you are having a bad day at the office who do you turn too?

If your friend is a mentor, let them mentor, but they might not be the strongest encourager that you will have in your life. Do not put your friends into roles they are not capable of fulfilling – realize that having a number of friends in different roles is key to fulfilling your needs.

My Vital Friends

To all of my friends, I know what a huge role each and everyone of you play in my life and I want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Happy Holidays to Everyone!

~Rustam

A number of years ago I took a business trip to Grand Isle, Louisiana which turned out to be more eventful then I could ever have imagined.  Our company was performing monitoring surveys of a few of the Barrier Islands just off of the South end of Louisiana’s coastline.

THE TRIP

We woke up very early and met the local boat operator at Port Fourchon loaded the boat and were on our way to one of the Barrier Islands.  The trip was about 1 hour and when we arrived, it started raining.  From what I recall, the Barrier Island was a couple of miles wide and had a breached opening in a section for us to get into the back of the island where we were doing our monitoring.  As we entered the back of the island, we setup our gear and met the Air Boat operator to get into some of the shallow areas.  Towards the end of the day we started to notice the weather getting worse and the rain harder, so we decided to pack up and head back to Port Fourchon.  As we were all packed up and getting ready to leave we noticed the wind pick up and saw a HUGE storm heading our way.

THE PERFECT STORM

As we headed out of the breached opening, the captain started to look concerned and slowed the boat down.  This was only a 22’ metal boat with at least 6 of us onboard.  Not a very big boat and completely open with many of us sitting on coolers.  The problem was that the waves just outside the opening were 6-8 feet and he didn’t think we could make it out of the opening.  We were all still in a good mood and laughing and actually joking about the waves and our adventure.  I remember specifically cheering a few times and saying “bring it on.”  As we hit the second wave on the way out, the captain turned and looked at me and said “shut up and sit down,” then he told everyone to put on our life vests.  He next called the Port and told them to call the coastguard and let them know we were on our way back and to call for help if we were not in Port in an hour or so.

We all sat down (a few people were actually praying) and headed out through the waves.  The waves were so big that the captain had to basically drive parallel to the waves.  He was a 20+ year veteran of the seas, but looked very concerned and told us to stay together if the boat flipped.  At this time, I was planning my own survival tactics if the boat were to flip.  We eventually made it back to the Port in one piece with all of us on board.  I still remember that day vividly and have learned a few things from that trip and my brush with the “Perfect Storm.”

LESSONS

Here are a few lessons I learned from that trip that have stayed with me.

1.        Every Day Matters – None of us know if we will be around tomorrow.  Life is too short not to live every day to the fullest.  Take time during each day to reflect and appreciate how blessed you are to be alive.

2.       When Not to Joke – Sometimes we make jokes at the wrong times or in the wrong situations.  Have you ever made a joke that hurt someone?  I know I have, but I try to remember that Captain turning to me and telling me to zip it, obviously that was not the right time to poke fun at the situation.

3.       Everyone has a Gift – I truly believe that we made it back to the Port because we had an incredible Captain.  He was nervous but kept his composure and focused on getting us all back safely.  Don’t be afraid to follow what you enjoy doing, it might even save someone’s life one day.

Life is full of adventure and has its up’s and down, but always remember that you never know what tomorrow will bring.  Here is one of my favorite quotes:

“Live today as if it were your last, but plan on being here for tomorrow”

~Rustam

The other night my daughter asked me to wake her up when I hear reindeer bells and Santa on Christmas Eve.  She then asked me why she never hears the bells and only my wife and I do.  I told her that Santa only comes when the kids are asleep so they can be surprised when they wake up.  At the time, this was the best response I could come up with.  This got me thinking about our company and wondering about what everyone must believe in.  Do they have a belief in good things coming in the future even though they can’t see it now?

Do Your Employees Believe?

Just like a kid who believes in Santa, do your employees believe in you and/or your company?  I truly believe that there are 3 critical components to creating an environment of believers at the office.  Whether you are a manager or the owner, incorporating these key components should lead to a strong belief system:

1. Vision

All kids have a vision of Reindeer’s flying through the air with Santa on his sleigh with loads of gifts.  Do your employees see a vision of your company in a bigger office, adding employees, growing, and even gifts of growth financially?  It is important to continue to paint a picture of the company’s vision in everyone’s mind, including your own.

2. Innovation

This is not about coming up with the next billion dollar idea.  It really is about your company continually evolving and looking for new ways to do things more efficiently and cost effectively.  Are you looking for new sources of Revenue?  Staying ahead of industry trends is tricky, but the financial return is usually very rewarding.

At Coastal Planning and Engineering, I was fortunate to have a great mentor in Jeff who always looked for new ways to do our job.  For example, Jeff pushed us very hard to come up with a new and innovative way to do coastal monitoring surveys.  Jeff even went as far as to give us an “innovation” budget to try and develop a waterproof GPS system.  We went through a few variations, but eventually came up with a waterproof GPS system which worked.  Not only did it work, but it allowed for the monitoring to be done much quicker and the data to be processed and analyzed in the field in real time.  This system is now the standard and would not have been possible without Jeff’s desire to innovate.

3. Trust

Trust is the foundation of any relationship.  This is no different within a business.  Your employees must believe that you are honest with them about everything.  The best way to build a team that will stick with you through the good times and bad, is to build a strong foundation of trust.

Master these three components and build a solid team that believes in you and the future.    This will keep you from saying “Bah Hum bag” when someone quits to join another company.

~Rustam “Santa”