A Message from the CEO - January 2025

Happy New Year!  Every year - because of the Oprah’s and self-help gurus of the world - I choose a word or theme for myself.  Any word will do if it means something to you and will motivate you to think beyond the norm and change or enhance your life in some way.  I chose my word back in October, and the word was “allow”. 

I’ve thought about this word in various forms.  From a bigger perspective - this word could mean “YES! Steve, do everything - allow for all adventures life has to offer,” but after some reflection, I came up with another definition.

We are nice in Iowa.  Really nice, and sometimes - the truth is bypassed so we won’t hurt other people’s feelings.  (I’ve said this before, but my dad would never engage in less-than-nice behavior because he was mortified at hurting anyone’s feelings.  “Bob - your version of nice doesn’t get the job done” … my mom would say to my dad.)  I find myself becoming more like my dad as I age.  I don’t like controversial situations - who does?  But - like my mother, the all-knowing sage, being too nice is not getting the job done.  So I am allowing myself to be less nice.  (FYI - this goes against all of my midwestern upbringing.)

Along with my word of the year, 2025 brought hearing aids and new glasses to me.  So, I can hear and see and be more aware of situations.  “Did I hear that right?” was my common thought in my head and now I have help via the hearing aids so I won’t have to ask that question much anymore.  Allow-ing myself to be aware, and then allow-ing my communication to being not passively nice but kind and assertive, will help me live a better life. 

Bottom line - I’m allowing myself to be less nice*.