Your Family Reunion
When I was growing up, we never had family reunions. There was never any need.
I saw my cousins on a regular basis. We’d get together to go swimming, or for birthday parties, or for no reason at all.
As I got older, active in high school, and then moved away to college, it was a rare occasion seeing my extended family. If it was summer and there was a graduation party, or a wedding maybe. But honestly, these gatherings were few and far between.
From when I graduated college up until just a few years ago, there were years in between the times I would see my cousins, my aunts and my uncles. We all settled into our own separate lives and clusters.
I think back and wonder if this was partially my failing. That I didn’t do a better job keeping up with everyone. Maybe it’s no one’s fault…that these things just happen as we get older. Whatever the reason, I didn’t like it.
In 2017 I was on my annual spring golf trip. It was a year where my dad went along with us. He was almost 80 years old at this time and we struck up a conversation about Sicily, where his parents were born. He told me his one regret was never seeing the house his mother was born in. Never seeing his cousins who lived in Marsala. Never really knowing the land where his family came from.
Now mind you, my dad never talked this way. He never talked of regrets and never discussed traveling anywhere. This was new information to me.
2017 was my last year at Content Marketing Institute. My wife and I sold that business in 2016 and I was due to end my time at CMI at year’s end. That meant 2018 was completely wide open. I could do whatever I wanted. It was a blessing.
I reached out to a few of my cousins in the states who had visited Sicily in the past. After a few days I received the email and phone number for my cousin who lived in Milan whose parents still lived in Petrosino, just outside Marsala, Sicily (Marsala is the furthest point west in Sicily and Petrosino is a small suburb of Marsala).
Six months later, in February of 2018, my father and I were on a trip to Sicily. This was his first trip outside North America. We spent a week in Marsala, culminating with a huge gathering in Petrosino with over 50 of my cousins (all of whom I met for the first time).
It’s hard to describe the emotion of that event, as well as the entire trip. I guess this was the moment I doubled down on family.
Just a few years later, during the peak of COVID 19, my father’s sister (my godmother) passed away. At the funeral, I saw and talked with my cousins who I hadn’t seen in years. We talked as family does at an event like this. “How have you been? We should get together more outside of funerals? Why don’t we?”
Why don’t we? Well, the only reason I could think of is because no one was leading the effort to make it happen. The last three times we all got together was for a funeral. No one wants this.
I contacted two of my cousins with the idea of a family reunion. They were on board. We dusted off the family spreadsheet and made the rounds to update it. We tried to include everyone.
In the summer of 2022, almost 50 attended the reunion and it was a huge success. I met (and re-met) my cousins from years past. I met some people I didn’t know were family. We all committed to gathering at least every two years.
It’s amazing what an event like that will do. Over the past two years, there have been meetings, text messages, emails, and updates from family all over the country. You know, those small little gestures that keep us close to each other. I’ve found that these things are the glue that keeps the momentum going.
But a one-time event just never makes the impact you want. Consistency is where the magic happens.
Last week we celebrated the 2024 version of our family reunion. Almost 70 attended. I met even more of my cousins who I didn’t know were my cousins. It all felt just right.
This fall I’m heading back to Marsala, this time with my wife. I told them in 2018 that I’d be back, and I’m keeping my promise.
I’m excited about the path forward with my family. In looking back, I realized that something was missing, and I wanted it to be different.
This paragraph from an article on consistency shares my thinking best.
If you find yourself in a position today where things are not as you wished they would be, whether that be in your personal or business life, start by changing your behavior. Ask yourself what you can do every single day to get a little bit closer to your end goal. And whatever that might be, make it something that you follow through on consistently.
Whether it’s your family situation, or perhaps your career, or your finances, what would you like to change? You have the power to change it. Set a goal and do the little things to make it happen.
The Power of Consistency
Jay Clouse just finished a short poll asking what the biggest challenge for a creator is right now. The options were publishing consistently, building an audience or making money.
In a very tight race, publishing consistently was the winner.
I had a keynote presentation this week for an outstanding group of associations. They were doing all the things…it seemed. At a closer look of their newsletters, none seemed consistent. All of them were publishing whenever. What do I mean by whenever? Whenever there is news. Or resources. Or someone to complete it.
It’s no wonder why most were struggling with their newsletter open or click-through rate or SPAM complaints.
For years, I’ve talked about consistency in frequency as being the most important thing to building a content-first business. For example, this enewsletter goes out every other Thursday and has for five years now.
But in actuality, there are two parts of consistency. Let me explain.
Growing up, I watched the NBC-hit show Cheers every Thursday. One of the main characters was Norm Peterson. Everybody loved Norm. So much so that when he entered the Cheers bar all the other patrons yelled out “Norm”.
Why did everyone love Norm?
Well, first, because he showed up at the same time, every day. To be loved, you have be present.
But second, Norm always had something interesting to say. Every. Single. Time.
It went like this.
Norm: “Afternoon everybody.”
Everyone in the bar: “Norm!”
Bartender or Patron: “How’s the world been treating you?”
Norm: “Like a baby treats a diaper.”
Here’s some good Norm entrances in one short video.
To be great, you have to be consistent in two ways. First, you have to show up. Second, you have to be interesting. Every. Single. Time.
I interviewed Anthony Fasano for the second edition of the Content Inc book. Anthony has built an amazing Content Inc. business called the Engineering Management Institute. Anthony says it this way:
“Consistency in content publication is absolutely critical. First of all, consistency, in life, is critical. I mean, if you go to the gym once a month, it doesn’t help you. If you go multiple times a week, it helps you. If you eat good once a month, it doesn’t help you. The same thing goes with content. If you do a podcast every so often, whenever you get the creative itch, you’re not really helping anyone because it’s just too random. There’s no strategy around it.
You have to force yourself to do it because otherwise you’re not going to get into a rhythm. Your audience is not going to be feeling that they’re getting the value on a consistent basis and you won’t build channels where you can impact and influence a lot of people and help a lot of people, quite frankly.”
Well said sir!
This week, take a good hard audit on areas where you aren’t happy. If you’re honest, much of that worry or unhappiness comes from inconsistency. Now is the best time to start building that muscle to make what’s important in your life consistent. Publishing a podcast or newsletter. Seeing family. Investing in a Roth IRA. Exercise. You get the point.