I am quite sure that I do not need to persuade you with this post that storms are brewing all around you. Most of us are well aware of the multiple storms we face in every facet of our lives every day. If you don’t have enough that are affecting you personally, you can certainly find plenty to worry about by consulting almost any form of media or communication. It is true that if it bleeds, it leads, and there is plenty of bloodletting to go around these days.
It is also true that as we have all lived through the past couple of years of societal unrest topped off with a worldwide pandemic, we have all become more stressed, anxious, and unsettled in our lives and minds. The subject of mental health is thankfully being addressed publicly now when for years it was hidden and regarded as something to be avoided and discussed only in private. As with each of my weekly posts, however, I want to give you hope and light on how to combat all of this.
Famous American poet and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau famously said, “The question is not what you look at but what you see.” On some level, we were all horrified by the events that took place in our nation’s capital last week. Not surprisingly, it has stirred up even more division and vitriol than existed a week ago, which seemed palpable even on its own.
I have no interest or inclination to get into a political discussion. If you’re looking for that, you won’t have to look very hard. I have determined that I will focus my time on building solutions by offering grace and kindness rather than looking to become involved with the many opportunities available to engage with strangers and especially close friends in a moral online battle. My solution is straightforward; I try to ignore it.
To varying degrees, we have all felt the adverse effects of 2020. It will likely go down in history as one of the most difficult, if not tragic years in world history on a number of fronts. The long-lasting implications of everything that has happened this year may indeed take the entire decade of the ’20s to fully recover.
Who would have ever imagined that the horrific shootings that occurred throughout the country at the dawning of the New Year, or the tragic helicopter crash that took the life of Kobe Bryant and 8 other souls on that late January morning in Calabasas, California would become almost forgotten by the end of the year?
Despite all of the difficulties we have all been faced with, I believe there is still great hope in the future. I believe that brave people just like you and I turn tragedies into triumphs every day. But for a few very limited exceptions, these triumphs happen in anonymity. And I believe those are the best kinds.
Why? You may ask? Because the biggest and best expression of any characteristic of quality or integrity is best expressed by people who don’t do it for any other reason that to better themselves by first positively impacting the lives of other people.
If you look closely enough, you will see heroes all around you. People from all walks of life that care more about making a positive impact than being rewarded personally for what they do. Many of them wear uniforms but many more of them do not. They are our neighbors, local business owners, school teachers, volunteers, public servants. The list goes on and on.
Where we go from here is anybody’s guess. At least, that’s what “people” like to say. I’m not sure who “people” are but they have a lot of opinions and a lot of reasons why we shouldn’t have hope, shouldn’t try, and why we should just lay low. Those “people” are not my people. And they’re not yours either.
If you are reading this and are a loyal reader and watcher of my material (if not, see below), you know that I am going to encourage you to Be Different, Act Different, and Make a Difference. How? I don’t know that I can tell you exactly what you need to do for yourself. The only thing I can tell you is to do something. Anything that will get you moving in a positive direction that you can begin building on. The key is to just start. Today.
Start with kindness, mix in a measure of gratitude, and top it off with love and integrity and you can’t go wrong. It may be uncomfortable at first but anyone (including YOU) can form a new habit in just a few short weeks. I’ll close, as I often do with a quote that I hope summarizes my encouragement for you, and my motivation to keep “movespiring” you forward:
Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly until you can learn to do it well.”
I also invite you to review my coaching page on my website here. I have only a couple of spots left in my Personal Development Coaching Practice. Each week I offer two free strategy sessions on a first-come, first-served basis to people interested in exploring how to become a person who pursues their goals and dreams. These special hour-long sessions prove again and again to be invaluable to those who participate. You can book these directly on my coaching page – I look forward to serving you.
