The Lessons I Want To Keep Going Forward
I am grateful there appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to this pandemic. Businesses are once again open, and the little things are getting back to normal.
This whole thing will go down in the story books as an experience most of us hope to never see again. However, I am sure you will also agree, that in this challenge, we have each had the opportunity to be reminded of some things, to learn a few lessons and hone some of our skills.
Challenges are what makes life interesting. Overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.”
Joshua J. Marine
Here are a few of the things that I hope to carry with me:
- Take time with people – I didn’t realize how much I took time for granted, when it came to the people around me. It wasn’t like I took them for granted, but at the same time was caught up doing so many different things, I didn’t make time for them. A coffee would get cut short, a lunch date postponed until the point it didn’t happen, or a Sunday afternoon would get filled with some this or that. This time has allowed me to reconnect with the enjoyment of simply spending time with people, both inside and outside the business and in getting to know them in a much more meaningful way.
- Not everything is important – It is easy to get caught up in believing a lot of things are important when simply, they aren’t. We have all gone through a year of imperfection where we had Zoom meeting mishaps, undyed and unruly hair, inventive meals, and so many other things that just weren’t perfect. The amazing thing is, for the most part, no one noticed, and even if they did, we laugh about it and let it go. Perfection is the process of trying to make everything important, and the thing I want to remember is that in reality, very little really is.
- Focus on what you want – When I look around, there have been so many stories of people adapting and overcoming some amazing hurdles throughout the last year and a half. They were faced with the same conditions as everyone else, and yet their results have been so different. It is because rather than focusing on the things they couldn’t control, they focused on the things they could and they remained vigilant in getting to where they wanted to be. It has been a case study in making sure you are focusing on where you want to go.
- Pick your battles – One of the big challenges has been in how polarizing many issues are these days; did the governments do the right things, are the vaccinations safe, should we have taken this or that steps. Whatever side of the debate, the players have all brought their opinions and “facts and data” to prove their point and we have seen unbelievable ugliness to those with different opinions. I recognize I don’t have all the answers, but neither does everyone else. I have been wrong about things in this mess and need to remember that. It is okay to believe something today and to believe something different tomorrow. Life is a journey and along the way you will experience different scenery…recognize that sandy beaches can look a lot like snow.
In a weird way I am grateful to be living in this exact moment in history. If you had asked me five years ago whether this would be the lessons I would be sharing, I can definitely tell you they wouldn’t have been. But in saying that, isn’t that the amazing thing about life…you never know what is around the corner…the crazy, the ugly, the wonderful, the amazing. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow, so if there is one thing, I would say…stay focused on what is important today and make sure you do the things today, that demonstrate it.
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