Happy February, Massapequa! It was a crazy January; many commented that it seemed longer than the usually 31-day month. By now, many resolutions have already been abandoned, and people are getting back to their normal routines. I gave up on making a New Year’s Resolution many years ago, as I realized that goals need to be constantly set, measured, and adjusted – and, most importantly, goals need to be realistic. Nothing is more demoralizing than missing a goal by a wide margin.
Setting a goal must be done the same way you would plan a trip. The goal would be a destination that can be achieved, no matter how challenging it may be. Planning a trip to Antarctica may be a stretch goal for most of us, but it is somewhat achievable if you really want to do it. You would just need to plan a budget that is higher than the average trip, and then find the travel, via ship or plane, to get there. But, if you added to your goal that you wanted to drive to Antarctica, it would no longer be an achievable goal once you got to the tip of South America.
The key to hitting our goals is to plan the route to them and then make adjustments along the way. Sometimes with goals roads may be closed, and detours must be made, just like getting to a destination. It is also good to have people help you plan your goals. Surround yourself with people who have taken the journey so that they can help you find the shortcuts and avoid the mistakes they have made to get there. We still have plenty of time this year to reach our goals, and coming to the end of our second month is a great time to re-evaluate them.
The Chamber has many events coming up, and the first one that I want to make sure everyone has on their calendars is our 75th Anniversary Gala / Installation Dinner. I am lucky to have the opportunity to take the helm of an organization that has had outstanding leadership over the past 75 years, and we want to have a great celebration. The dinner is scheduled for Thursday, June 8th at The Royal Palm, so be on the lookout for tickets.
On Thursday, February 16th, we will hold our Annual Firefighters of the Year Awards Luncheon. It gives me great joy to be able to recognize our local volunteers for their bravery and going above and beyond the call. Our first responders add so much to the quality of life here in Massapequa and help make this a great community to do business.
Our January Lunch and Learn was sold out, and Maria Guzzetta did a great presentation on how to incorporate “out of the box” thinking in your networking. She was a big hit, and everyone who attended gave her rave reviews. Maria is going to be helping to run our networking events, and she is a valued Board Member of the Chamber.
We have a networking event coming up at TD Bank on Wednesday, March 29th at 5:30pm, and they will be holding a Financial Literacy Seminar along with the networking. Refreshments will be served, and we expect a great turnout for this event. Make sure to bring business cards and meet some of your fellow business owners.
Going back to the original topic, my goal as the President of the Chamber of Commerce of the Massapequas is to help my fellow business owners grow their businesses. Networking has been the biggest contribution to the success of growing my own business over the past 26 years, so I want to make sure that our members have as many opportunities as possible to expand their business through networking – and so our luncheons, breakfasts, and dinner meetings will all have more time to network than we have ever had in the past!
Robert Zabbia, President
Massapequa Chamber of Commerce