“There are three things that grow more precious with age; old wood to burn, old books to read, and old friends to enjoy.”

– Henry Ford

This week, I had the pleasure of seeing three of my old friends. While I don’t see them often enough, I truly value each of them and we definitely have history together. I’ve known each of them for more than 30 years. We all started in business together at different times and different places.

But, somehow, these relationships haven’t changed. While distance has kept us apart, somehow, time has actually brought us even closer. I guess that’s the true test of an amazing friendship.

Getting together this week, it’s like no time had passed. We just fell back into the warmth and comfort of truly authentic relationships.

Together, we reminisced and laughed about the past,
talked about the now and the future,
where we are now and where we hope to go.

We also talked a lot about what has become truly important to us.

Look, success does so many things to so many people.
Wealth, especially, creates questions about who you can really trust – and who you actually are.
You have to be crystal clear about what you want to do and the legacy you want to leave your family – your kids, your clients, and this world.

If you ask me, your relationships are what keep you grounded in life. That’s the good stuff. The stuff that matters most.

Friendships and real relationships can’t be faked. They have to be earned and re-earned. You have to stay within that fragile balance, or those friendships will simply dissipate and blow away.

It is easy to forget that sometimes.

So, as we close out the first quarter of the year and start the next, I think it’s so important to remember where you are, where you come from, and, most importantly, what matters most.

We all change.
We all evolve.

But the relationships we have and choose to keep are what matters most.

-J.D.