Lesson 40: Gratitude
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. When I walked in the door of the house where I grew up, the room smelled like vanilla. A candle sat on the bookshelf by the door surrounded by novels and family photos. I could hear pots and pans sliding on the stove in the kitchen. Standing in the doorway, I digested these details and filled with gratitude.
As soon as I put my bags down, it was time to get to work. 17 people would dine in this house, and we needed to prepare. We scrubbed the carpets, washed the dishes, swept the floors, and moved extra tables from the shed into the house. Next we cooked: We sliced tomatoes, melted butter, cracked eggs, poured buttermilk, and sprinkled seasoning. On the big day, friends and family held hands around the room to say a prayer before sitting down.
I am a wealthy man this Thanksgiving. My wealth came from this rewarding preparation with my family. In my eagerness to become an investor, I embrace these traditions and what makes them special. As a child, I would dread the hassle of preparing for Thanksgiving - it would take all week leading up to Thursday. When I first became an investor, I would bemoan the research leading up to an investment. However, I now welcome the preparation because it leads to wealth-generation.
When you look at some of the largest portfolios, Warren Buffet swims at the top of the list with 39.4% of his portfolio in Financial Services. Surely, he did research before his decision to keep $105 billion in a single industry. When I read Deloitte’s 2025 Global Insurance Outlook, I learned that non-life insurance, a sub sector of the Financial Services industry, saw a 332% increase in pre-tax operating income in the first quarter of 2024, year-over-year. Insights like these are the utensils investors use to prepare their feast in the future.
Although I am early in my days as an investor, I have a deep gratitude for the work investing requires - in fact this work makes the profits all the more enjoyable. My appreciation comes from traditions in my home like Thanksgiving, where my family and I reaped the rewards of our preparation on the big day. So when we sit with our guests, we know what went into setting this table.
My vision is to leverage my influence as a Black business leader to pursue economic justice. Many came before me with this vision - I am merely a member of the team. We knew the work would be worthwhile when we began. Until this vision becomes a reality, we operate with gratitude because, with patience, we will reap the fruits of our labor.
Potential is Lesson 39. Next week, I will share Lesson 41: Kindness.
