Top Three Takeaways – March 16th, 2021
- We’ve changed. The pandemic has done it to all of us. A year later it’s near certain that multiple aspects of your day are different than they would have been without the pandemic. It could be as benign as putting on a mask, or as extensive as being pushed into a new career. What we do know is that we’ve changed. For most of us that’s meant buying more groceries, personal care items and takeout while spending less on entertainment, luxury stuff and clothes. And according to new research many of the changes are here to stay as 60% of us plan permanent changes to our prepandemic lives. Some of it’s good like better hygiene habits. Some of it’s weird like 14% of people who’re still obsessed with TP, but regardless we’ve changed.
- April 15th. It has three potential meanings to South Floridians this year. The first, isn’t specific to this year. It’s Tax Day. That’s not my point of mentioning it, though it should be noted that all efforts to postpone it this year haven’t gone anywhere, so if you’re hoping for a filing extension – you'll likely have to file for it. And if you owe taxes, you’d have better plan on doing that too. And btw, – if that’s you I feel your pain, but this April 15th happens to represent something else potentially far more positive. That’s the date Broward Mayor Steve Geller told me he thinks every resident who wants a vaccine will have access to one. And if that’s the case in Broward there’s a good chance that’s everywhere else too. It’s less than a month away. Should Mayor Geller prove correct Tax Day might be more of a liberating day this year in Broward in beyond. And that takes me to the third implication of the day. It’s often considered the end of the traditional flu season. If we’re all able to get vaccinated for COVID at the end of the traditional flu season which became the season of COVID... You see where this is going. The end of this pandemic appears to be near.
- Optimism. There’s plenty of room for it. Yes, I’m frustrated by a lot of what’s happening in Washington and yes, my body clock is still a little off from the time change – speaking of Washington stuff I want changed but there’s more good news than not these days. Change always presents opportunity. A year ago the DOW was at 19,000, today it’s nearly 33,000. People who took advantage of change a year ago have life changing money today. The question becomes what we’re doing with today that’ll have that impact on our lives a year from now. Opportunity, especially in South Florida’s red-hot economy, is there for the taking. One of my favorite bosses had a saying I’ve taken to heart. Change to upgrade. Sometimes the change isn’t welcomed but it doesn’t mean we can’t upgrade. We’ve all changed over the past year, but the question is what in your life have you worked to upgrade? And what are we doing today to continue to upgrade?
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