Boys Just Want to Have Fun

This week I'm taking a break from my series on installing floors to tell you a story.

You can't find a good reason to go to our NWFA Expo in Nashville this year? Let me tell you a story:

I was born to a very poor family. I remember playing in the living room with my younger brother and sister and hearing my parents talk about how they were going to pay the bills that month. My dad is a retired painter, and my mom is a hardworking housewife. It amazes me how they did it together all these years. They never had a college education, savings accounts or any investments. What money came in was immediately spent on food, paying the bills and the three kids they had. Years later, much later, I realized I never grew up thinking I missed something because my parents always gave me what I needed-a sense of security and love. My sister became a top marketing manager and my brother an award-winning chef. Me? After spending four years in a military academy, three years IDF (Israel Defense Forces) and two years working security, I ended up switching careers to what I do today. Yes, I can coat a floor and teach you advanced shooting techniques all at the same time. By the way, you would really appreciate my two boys practicing tactical positioning and then attacking their poor mommy when we go camping.

Anyway, point of paragraph: Life is about life, not work or money. Awhile back I used to work weekends and long days. One very rough, tough general contractor once asked me about going on a vacation or taking some time off. My answer was always along the lines of me being too busy or having no time. He looked at me and said very seriously: "Avi, let me tell you two things: 1. If you don't put it (time off) on the calendar it will never happen. 2. Sh#t will always be there waiting for you. By "sh#t" he meant "work." Every time I think of WHY I should take some time off, I think about what he said. Then I ask myself: WHY NOT?

My family and friends are what matters to me. Not letting the days go by is what I live by. Everything else is by the way: money, stress, work and people's talent of obsessing about a scratch in the corner of the back bedroom closet. These take too much time and energy from our lives. Remember that song "Girls Just Want to Have Fun?" Guess what? Guys do, too. For me, the NWFA Expo is all about that. It is about having fun with the people I appreciate, admire, work with and some even love. Yes, they had me at hello.

All I had to do at my first convention was to introduce myself to the NWFA staff. I went to their booth and said, "Hello, my name is Avi Hadad. Thank you for all you do." I sat down, and before you knew it everyone was my friend and wanted to help or share information. If you're nice and polite you're immediately part of the family. You'll be able to sit down at the table with anyone and everyone in the trade. You'll soon find out that the NWFA is made out of real people who put a lot of effort into making our trade better. You will find that the NWFA is not a mysterious organization controlled by evil manufacturers with some master plan to destroy Earth. It is made of people like you and me. People like Tricia Swindoll, Anita Howard and Sharon Schaller. These are just three of the staff members I got to work with when I joined the NWFA. Guess what, they have families too. They have kids and friends and worries just like everyone else. They deal with us floor people every day. Our constant rant about the association and the trade as a whole is exhausting, especially when we do nothing to change it. Only by volunteering to do committee work, school instructing and coming to convention I realized how much more complicated things were. When you take the time to be a part of the family, you are helping yourself and others to come. We all know this one, right? Either you're part of the solution or you're part of the problem. Guess what, I say it's either you're part of the solution or you're NOT.

So, in the words of one of my mentors, "Get over yourself" and come have fun. Remember, "sh#t will always be there waiting for you."

PS. This is year I'm sharing a room with a good friend (and fellow blogger), Scott Avery. Don't go, "Oh my God" on me, at least it's not Wayne Lee. I hear he really likes hogging the remote control.

PSS. There's still plenty of time to sign up for the NWFA Expo in Nashville in April. Go to www.nwfaexpo.org to get all the info.