Pay Attention to Everyone Around You!

So here I am skiing in Breckenridge, Colorado after just getting back from London....oh I know you think it is all fun and games, but seriously...I am always working, even when I am playing. Tonight I had a great dinner at Keystone Ranch - just like skiing, I love ski in and ski out. Dining is no different. I love the places where you drive up for dinner, they valet your car and you never have to hassle with your coat - dine in and in out. So why am I telling you this. Well, as in any situation, I love to talk to people around me. Tonight was no different. At Keystone Ranch, after you finish dinner, they escort you to a wonderful great room around a blazing fire and you sit in comfortable chairs with strangers and have your dessert and coffee - I said strangers! Everyone sitting around you is enjoying the same ambiance, and yet everyone is talking to everyone. That does not even happen in the same office. So we engage in conversation and it so happens that the party we are talking to is from Arizona...they began to tell us how they work hard so they can come to Keystone and enjoy this - fine food, wine and 40 year old port. They also said they noticed there were less people skiing - well it is the "crisis." The financial slow down of America. That is when the conversation got good. One person was a teacher, one was a business owner and the other was a lawyer. They began to talk about how we really need to focus on keeping business going and not keep dwelling on the negative. So I mentioned the MSN comment I read on line today - a financial writer for MSN spoke about how we should get rid of Valentines Day because we spend millions of dollars on unnecessary things. Now please understand why I am over the top about this author. She lives in a log cabin in upstate New York and just because she has this unbelievable degree in journalism she can write for MSN and make people believe she has all the answers. Well here are my answers....it is about capitalism and spending money to keep the economy going...not getting rid of what makes this country so great - she must be a very unhappy and naive woman who thinks that getting rid of a holiday like Valentines Day will save the economy. She needs to take a trip to the center of Manhattan and see how business is really conducted. Does she even know why she gets a pay check every week? I question anyone that thinks that big or small business is the problem in this country, when it is the reason this country has led the way for so long. So back to my friends at Keystone Ranch. They simply want to work hard, play hard and sip 40 year old port along the way. Mark my word - tough times don't last - but tough people do. I dare you to challenge the status quo and get out there and make a difference - not next week, next month or next year. Tomorrow will make the difference. Cheers to all of us that want to enjoy this fine ride of life!