Hmmm… Apparently I need to write “thank you” letters to my friends and family.

Though I’ve done it all on my own with no help, my closest friends and family have been my biggest cheerleaders. That said, acquaintances and my old day job co-workers have indeed harbored jealousy, spoken and unspoken.

I’ll give you a good general life tip I’ve discovered in 55 years on this rock:

There are three types of people in your life. Shit negative, shit neutral, and shit positive.

There is shit in your life. Leaky roof. Slow sales. Flat tire. Gotta pick up the kids AND do a quote for a customer at the same time.

Some people in your life help you remove shit from your life. They pick you up on the side of the road when you have a flat. They walk your dog when you’re stuck overnight out of town. They bring a bag of ice to the party even if you don’t ask. They always have a kind word or good suggestion. They celebrate you and you do the same for them. These people are “shit negative”. They remove shit from your life.

Shit neutral people neither add shit to your life, nor subtract from it. They’re just around.

Shit positive people always need help. They’ve always got a story about how something didn’t work out for them. They don’t bring wine to the dinner party, but they always drink more than everyone else. They Walt’s forget the ice, and everyone knows they’re going to forget it. They’re always late to your tee time.

Stay away from shit positive people. Trying to succeed with shit positive people around you is like trying to water-ski dragging an anchor.

There was (maybe still is) a Chinese restaurant on the way from Houston to Galveston (on 45) called “Hung Fah Lo”. No shit. Wasn’t even a joke, it was the dude’s name or something.