Home for the Holidays…

As a blizzard heads to visit us here in New York today, I want to wish all my faithful blogees a happy and safe holiday season and all the best of success in the New Year. We are around for the holidays in no small part because of some major transactions that seem determined to get completed by year end. This I am not complaining about! Business has rather dramatically picked up for your humble blogger’s law firm, in particular in the last 5-6 months. This is a natural result of the strong stock market performance which has seen the market go up about 18% over the last year, and that includes the tough slide down through March 6.

As for the economy, well, about the same number of people tell me they are sure this is going to be a nice steady and long-lasting recovery as tell me the market surge is not real and the economy is headed back down for a “second dip” recession very soon. In a few weeks I am attending an event where a leading economist, whom I’ve seen many times, will bring his 35 pages of charts (luckily in the morning rather than after a few glasses of wine at night!) to try to tell us where the economy is headed. I will try to take notes! All fellow Wharton grads of my era were reminded of the challenging science of economics with the death this week of legendary author and prognosticator Paul Samuelson. Heck, even my Mom studied him at Bryn Mawr! There is one thing for certain. The economy will do what it will do. Take that one to the bank. Something else. The economic cycle has not been broken, and I’m not aware of anyone who seriously thinks that it can be. It will go up, then down, then up again, rinse and repeat. When and how that happens, well those are the bets that make some rich and some, not so rich.

I hope all of us will take time during this season to remember what really makes us all rich (and you know I’m not talking about business gang). It’s the love and relationships in our lives, and, as I saw on a school poster recently, “Do you do the right thing…when no one is looking?” And yes, I do feel great warm feelings for so many good friends I have been fortunate to have made while we happen to do business together. To me, that is one of the greatest motivators as I bound into the office each morning ready to tackle the day. Thanks to all my friends, clients, supporters, fans of my blog, book and speeches, for the extra joy you bring to the daily adrenalin rush of building and running a business. Happy holidays everyone!!!!

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