I remember a time back in some
major life experience of being a younger man. I was with a very good company,
and my life was in a state of confusion over what to do next in my life,
business wise. I was so upset over the split of open wheel racing and I just
didn’t know what to do in my master plan of developing businesses to enjoy
motorsports and settled in my mind a depression I could not even handle. I feel
that convincing everyone I could come across that Indy Type race cars; was the
best entertainment on the block, and years of planning went down the drain. I
knew what was going on at all levels of the spectrum though. I felt if I could
just hang in there I could stay focused on the positive and keep going on all
levels to promote open wheel racing the best I can. I had an older friend that
ended up in a retirement home, and in this process of transformation of trying
to make the great friend happy with his new arrangements and that life could be
much better for him indeed. The thought of Frank meeting new people and
expanding his life stories to new people beside telling me over and over these
stories of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, I loved the stories very much and
could hear them over and over. I can’t though because my friend Frank is no
longer with me on earth, but in my heart. I do remember an amazing story that was just brought
to my attention by a day dream. I remember this one afternoon that I went to
Franks place on the west side of Indianapolis , Indiana in 1997, on a wonderful
shinny day and the temperature was as good as it can get in Indiana around 75
degrees and Frank had a wonderful tree in his back yard. As I sat down in a
lawn chair under the shade and I was at peace, and asked Frank, “ I am so much
at a mixed up place of progression in this racing world I love so much.” Frank
said back to me, “Jimmy, you are either
in racing or you’re not?” Frank was an amazing
business man back in his normal time of business before he retired and had so
much going on I just could not see him that much back in the day as much as I
could then. He started to explain to me much deeper than to me. “Jimmy, I will never forget the time my
father sat me down and explained that in life there has to be a perfect circle where
there is a start and an end in creating that perfect circle.” Then time stopped
as Frank went further in his explanation to me, and his voice got real sturdy, “Jimmy;
after this perfect circle is created and all sides are equal on all levels.”
Then Frank takes a sip of his Ice tea, and then gets back into his train of
thought, “Jimmy study that perfect circle, and place a dot right in the middle
of that circle so that everything you do in business will be balanced, If whatever
you are in business and in life does not have that balance, you will fail every
time, until you get that right.” Now, I will never forget that conversation, I
remember the wind blowing, to what color the grass was. The sounds; of the day, to where I will never
see Frank’s expression like that again. I feel that in my world; that balance
is finally back in my world of functionality to drive home success. I will
never forget how great my talks were with Frank, and how so many elderly people
that has molded me to whom I am right now.
Jim Gandolf
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