By Younas Chaudhary
- The joy of a life well-lived.
The best blessing for me this year is having escaped COVID-19 and staying healthy amid the pandemic. I took all vaccines including the booster dose believing that prevention is better than an ounce of cure. I am healthy, my kids and grandkids are all blessed to be healthy.
2. Rediscovering nature.
In my early days into the energy business, I would go to remote and beautiful places to purchase oil and gas wells and leases. Once on such a trip to Montana and Wyoming, I was enthralled by the sight of wild animals running around the property, including deer, bison, and other wild animals. But, I was deeply engrossed in my work and I ignored nature and instead I was more focused on buying the oil and gas wells. This year, I specifically devoted time to be with nature and it has been an amazing experience as I visited national parks and other areas of interest within the United States. America is beautiful.
3. Business expansion.
Oil prices were on a rollercoaster ride in the recent months. When prices were down, our team took advantage of the opportunity to acquire more wells with leaseholds to further develop them. This has given us a strategic advantage as prices have gone up substantially over the last year. The 2021 year has been a blessed year and my team was quite diligent in exploring and acquiring new wells in certain specific areas where we invested wisely. We were fortunate to be at the right place at the right time to make and close on these new deals. If you are consistently in this game, you will surely get a break. I am truly appreciative and deeply thankful to each and all of my coworkers for all their daily efforts, dedication, and hard work.
4. Giving.
I have had the opportunity to help many people in need this year and this has been the most joyful part of my existence. There is no greater joy than giving to help make somebody’s life better.
5. I cannot thank caregivers enough.
I cannot thank my wife’s caregivers enough because they have done a phenomenal job taking care of her at home, as she suffers from Parkinson’s disease. The caregivers play with her, engage her, give her medications at 4 times a day, feed her, and take care of all her needs with meticulous detail with love and care. I cannot thank them enough for what they are doing.
6. Family.
This year, my oldest grandchild became an optometrist and the youngest one just moved from crawling on the floor into running around the house! Both were big accomplishments and a joy of my life!
7. Staying local.
I have truly started appreciating all the natural beauty and resources we have in America and this has made me think of investing more time in domestic tourism and traveling around America rather than going abroad.
8. The future is bright.
The uptick in oil and gas prices have helped our business and with God’s blessings we expect a great 2022 and our team is doing very well.
9. Stepping back to enjoy life.
I plan to do even less work in 2022, travel more, and enjoy nature.10.
10. Your encouragement
I wrote and published a book, “From Dirt Roads to Black gold” which has done well. This is my 90th blog post and I have consistently shared my personal experiences with you, my audience. Last year, I began this venture and today I have over 4,000 followers. I want to thank each one of you for taking the time to read my blog, the book, and I hope they are helpful and useful in your day-to-day life.
Happy Thanksgiving with lots of Blessings!
Disclaimer
The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not represent the opinions of any entity with which I have been, am now, or will be affiliated. Further, I make no warranty regarding the accuracy or effectiveness of my recommendations, and readers are advised to consult other advisors as well as their own judgments in making business decisions.
YBC Foundation 