Dear Diane, Today, your future is reaching back and touching you on the shoulder. I know you like computers, sports and outdoor adventures but, surprisingly, you end up working in the fashion shoe biz! I know it seems like an unlikely future, but it couldn’t have turned out any better. Working for your Dad (Joe Butrus) is way better than you thought it would be!
Remember when Mom always said you could do anything? It’s true. Feel free to try different things in business as you go along, because some will be epic and some will be a disaster! But you need both experiences. Really, you need both. The outcome is not as important as enjoying the process. You are always up for the challenge and you will find a way to make it work. You actually can’t find the epic opportunities without tripping over the disasters.
Your Dad is going to be your biggest champion in business, and you will be so proud to be working with him. He has so much experience and is so well respected in the shoe industry. Do you remember how he always said to do the right thing? I know you took that to heart, and it’s worth it! Appreciate every story, theory and bold idea he has. You will never meet anyone with as much passion. He always put your sisters and you first, and you will put your family first too. It will make you really happy!
The family you create at work will be as important to you as your family at home. Select people who are smart, loyal and likable. They are the ones who stay, anyway. It’s ok to love them like sisters and brothers—they appreciate it more than they say. And don’t be embarrassed to ask every person you interview what size shoe they wear. Nobody thinks it’s weird—except you.
Here are 10 hot life tips that won’t make sense now, but will make a difference. 1. After you take the Landmark Forum all those quotes that you studied in school that you didn’t understand will make sense.
2. They keep changing the rules of the game, just keep playing. 3. It is more important for someone to produce the results than it is to do it like you would do it. 4. Take care of your employees and they will take care of your customers. (Richard Branson will teach you this.) 5. Keep feeding your brain. Lots of times in your life you’ll think you know enough, but never stop trying to learn. 6. Keep training your body. You will ask a lot of your physical body and it will support you if you are fit and healthy. 7. Put others first. If they are taken care of, you will be taken care of.
8. Take traditional family vacations and create your own adventures—your work will be there when you get back. (And, no, you don’t have to retire to travel and have fun. You will do that along the way.) 9. Get the free iced tea refills—it always makes you giddy. 10. You are going to love sushi! Not the first, second or third time…but keep trying, you will love it eventually.
While everyone else wants a house and kids, you are fine with a condo and a fancy car. And you will drive lots of great cars, but you’ll eventually settle on an electric model. (Yes, they are a thing.) It will be called a Tesla and it will have more friends than you do! You will also love to ski, hike and ride your bike with lots of fun people. Your athletic pursuits will evolve over time and end up with a passion for cycling. You will raise money by riding long distances—like 100 miles (yes, in one day) for charity! You will ride thousands of miles. It will be hard to ask for donations at first, but you will get really, really good at it, and it will end up being lots of fun and for some really great causes.
Over the years, your love for baseball will only continue to grow. You will attend lots of games, watching your beloved St. Louis Cardinals. You even watch them win a World Series! Or maybe it’s more than one—you’ll have to wait and see! You will sit in many different seats in the stadium, but it isn’t about where you sit or whether they win, it’s always about who you go with.
Enjoy the ride!
Diane
