I had a great pre-birthday party this week with my family tasting Telaya wines at the Owyhee Plaza. I think I have made it clear that I like red wine, golf, skiing, and oh yes, I am partial to my grandson, Hank. The conversation turned to my backcountry Canadian Ski trip that I committed to taking in March of 2016. The mountains near Revelstoke are steep, lots of powder, a few cliffs, and some very tight trees. Several of us were discussing that this endeavor could be dangerous. Walking across the street is also dangerous was my clever response. Holt is my son-in-law and a former Olympic skier. His coach always told him as he stood in the gate before a competitive event, “If you are not living on the edge, you are taking up too much space.” I am not sure I can live up to this aggressive and death-defying advice, but I thought it was a great quote. In day-to-day life, and in our business life, I would translate this statement to, “You must give anything in life a 100% effort and your full attention and passion.”
We attended the media event on Monday that proclaimed November to be Idaho Nonprofit Awareness month. Lieutenant Governor Little read the statement that included some very interesting and positive statistics for Idaho. There are over 5,000 registered 501c3’s in the state that employ over 50,000 citizens and are supported by 425,000 volunteers. The volunteer annual hours total over 6 million in Idaho. It reminded me how important those volunteer hours are within our own bank as we build relationships in the communities we serve.
“Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.” – Conan O’Brien
“What you are will show in what you do.” – Thomas A. Edison