The Storm
As I sit here, the world is in a pandemic. A storm has come in the name of COVID-19. This storm, at least here in Nashville was preceded by a devastating tornado that caused major damage and loss of life. Two weeks later the US and the world are being griped by COVID-19. Whole countries are on lockdown, states are going on lockdown, cities are going on lockdown, mass layoffs are happening in the hospitality industry as businesses are shutting down to help flatten the curve. Social distancing, shelter-in-place, quarantine, epidemic, pandemic, shortages, essential movement, and so many other words have become top in daily conversations.
We are living in a time that many things are being exposed from businesses that truly used their Corporate Social Responsibility as a smoke screen, our selfishness, our depravity, our loneliness, our facades. All have come crumbling down. What is coming back is a realignment of who we are as individuals, nations, businesses, leaders, friends, spouses, family members, parents, grandparents, and children. We are working to protect the most vulnerable. Human decency is coming back. The facade that organizations that we thought were there to protect are incapable of protecting due to red tape. Now don’t get me wrong I believe during this time a more leaner government may come about that can react faster and more decisive during a time like this. Organizations will redevelop CSR principles to make sure that their number one assets are protected (their people).
This storm called COVID-19 will have major impact on everyday life for the foreseeable future. On top of this other natural disasters are happening; earthquakes, locusts, natural disasters, and so much more. During this time many that are sheltering-in-place are thinking of ways to improve life, create new content, chefs creating new foods, bartenders/mixologist creating new libations, distillers creating new alcohols, brewers creating new booze, new ways to create a more sustainable energy supply, playwrights creating new live theater experiences, musicians creating new music, authors creating new stories, and the list can go on and on and on. We are seeing a reset and I will cover that in another post this coming week.
Right now we are in a storm and the other day, once the fog of all that has transpired in March for me personally, an image came to mind and story. As you know I am a man of faith and a follower of the Way. I believe right now we are in a storm and we are panicking and afraid, yet I see the world on a boat in the midst of a major storm and we are afraid of what is going on. In the back of the boat peacefully asleep is a man unfazed by all that is going on. He is awoken by the noise of not the storm but those cry out in fear and pain. He stands up and goes to the front of the boat; passing all those that are busy doing work to calm their fears in great dismay. Each person, country, nation, language, ethnic group He passes a peace comes over them. As He approaches the front of the boat He turns to all the nations and says “I am Greater than this storm. I am Greater than your fears, I am Greater than any nation, leader, and I am working with the healers for I am the Great Healer, the Great Physician. I am the Lord of lords, King of kings, and the Prince of Peace. I am Adonai, I am YHWH.” He turns to the storm and rebukes the storm and a great calm comes across the ocean and a peace permeates over the world.
If this vision I had reminds you of anything then you would be right. It is similar to the story in Scriptures of Jesus and the disciples. If you want to look it up here is the story is found in Matthew 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; and Luke 8:22-25.
I know many that will read this post do not have faith in God or anything else; however, I do and I am just sharing what I have felt in the past few weeks. So those that don’t believe I ask you two things, one allow people that do have faith to have their faith; and two in what you do believe good vibes or what not send them out. This is an all out effort by all humanity.
There is hope during this storm. There is peace during this storm. “Fear not for I am with you always” Isaiah 41:10. “Even though I walk through the valley of shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.” Psalm 23.4.
As I mentioned there is hope. There are millions around the world working to control this pandemic. They are scientist, doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical companies, other medical staff. I have seen videos from Switzerland that at nine pm they all open their windows and begin to applaud and cheer on these exhausted healthcare workers. I have seen videos of those in Italy singing to help lift the spirits. Here in the US musicians are doing live shows from their living rooms and broadcasting across the globe. There is hope. We will survive.
During this time remember, those that are on the frontlines of this pandemic. Pray for them daily. Send good vibes their way. Be gracious to others. Love others. If you see one on your necessary run’s to the stores tell them from six feet away thank you. If you have the means pay for what they are buying. Help the first responders get food as their transportation cannot make it through the drive-thru. Prepare masks for the medical staffs. Help those impacted due to the shutdowns monetarily, with food, necessities or whatever you can. Reach out to people you care about. Care for each other from a distance. Love each other. We will get through this. We will overcome. We will come out stronger. We will love harder. We will be more balanced. We will be okay.
THANK YOU TO ALL THAT ARE FIGHTING THIS PANDEMIC AND THOSE THAT WORKING FOR A VACCINE! THANK YOU TO THE DOCTORS AND NURSES, CNA’S, MA’s, HOSPICE, NURSING HOME, FIRST RESPONDERS! YOU GOT THIS AND WE GOT YOU!
BE BOLD! BE COURAGEOUS! BE FEARLESS!
Joel
PS: As my source of income has been affected during the tornado and COVID-19 and you would like to help to make sure this blog stays up and help with the launch of a podcast and vlogging. Please email me at joel@pathofone.com and I will give you ways to help. I am not a 501(c) or a for profit organization. I am an individual just trying to bring hope and share what I have learned. Thank you.
Path to Leadership
I have been sitting here all day trying to write and still have no real direction. The one thought that keeps coming to mind is how our lives impact leadership. Leadership in the sense of leading others. My prior posts have been about life in general and how to make strides in your personal life. The question becomes how does that relate to leadership? That is a great question.
To answer there are many facets of leadership and the most important aspect in leading is leading one’s personal life. Take for instance a home remodeler. They do fantastic work on their projects and some of their work can lasts decades; however, if you go to their home it needs a lot of work. These men and women put all of themselves into their craft on others; however, have no energy to do it for themselves. Now, take that thought and think about leaders in other organizations. They lead and some do a fantastic job; however, if you look at their personal life it is in shambles. They lead and make major decisions everyday and yet some of the simplest decisions outside of work can seem huge due to all their energy and focus has been at work.
I am a proponent that though these individuals seem like they are winning on the outside they are actually losing in life. There are the mantras of work-life balance and yet here in the United States we seem to work more to achieve success and yet we have high divorce rates, suicides, anger, hatred, depression, anxiety, and so much more. The reason I have focused on life before diving into the theories on leadership and other things that can impact an organization is that we need to be healthy outside of any leadership role.
Now think about this. If a leader, regardless of title, is healthy and able to fire on all cylinders and are healthy personally what kind of impact will they have on their families, friends, community, and organizations? The ripple effect can be felt for generations to come. I can imagine the impact that we can have on the world and eternal impacts these decisions will make. Emotional Intelligence, a healthy and secure life, and so much more impact leadership more than just how you lead your teams.
I am a man that believes in faith and the spiritual side of life. Outside of taking time to enjoy family, friends, hobbies, vacationing, and keeping your body healthy, there is so much more. You must take time to recharge your soul. I know many people do not hold my beliefs; however, there is something about taking time to rejuvenate this part of your life. Some will say this is your emotional aspects of life and that is part of it. But have you ever though my job is soul crushing or I just feel off and don’t know why. Some of this can be resolved by taking time to just be. Take a sabbatical and head to the ocean or mountains. Do something that fills you up. Whatever that means or whatever your faith is do that. I am just saying take care of your whole person so when the time comes you will be ready to lead.
To those that are leaders currently. I encourage you to pursue your balance. Make sure you are unplugging from work. Turn off the phone, shutdown the computer, and spend time with those that matter most. Jobs and positions come and go. Money is fleeting. What is not is your health, family, children and spouse if you have them, friends, moments, memories. In the end, you may be remembered for what you give society; however, what matters most is those that you leave behind and the impact negative or positive you have had on them. We all make mistakes; and as current leader realize that you are not infallible and you are not superhuman. Do your family, team, and most importantly yourself be healthy body, mind and soul.
We are all leaders as we have to lead our own lives daily. Let us take care of ourselves first and taking care and leading others will be the natural outflow of this healthy life. Please feel free to comment and share on this post or any others that you have used. I love to hear feed back and thoughts.
Be Bold! Be Courageous! Be Fearless!
Joel
Path of the Warrior
In today’s society we are told to be quiet, listen, and don’t make waves. In some situations this is a perfectly find attribute. In fact, we have lost the art of true communication where we actually listen to understand and come to comprise, respect, and trust each other even with differing view points. This particular post is not about the communication aspect that we as a culture need to develop; however, it is about the warrior within each one of us that has been pushed down and hidden.
Warriors lived by a code of that set them apart from others in society. They defended their homelands, fought for those who could night fight for themselves, brought justice when justice was needed, banded together and fought and protected as one. These men and women are still around today in different forms and fashions. They may not have swords, weapons, armor, and other tools of war; however, they wield their weapons through pen and paper, blogs, politics, community service, volunteering, denying their need to be right but to make this world a better place. Just like those of the days gone by they live by a code of integrity, honor, humility, discipline, compassion, unity, and honesty.
These warriors are scientist searching for the cure of some many diseases that affect children, adults, and the elderly. They provide shelter for those who need to be protected from abusive relationships. They provide protection when they are not respected. They get up regardless of what others say and think and do to them; they get up and set out to do their best for the task that they have been charged with.
These are people that are admired throughout history and we hear their stories as they have been canonized in books of history. Yet, here we are on our own paths and feeling like we are not warriors and that we can not be these men and women of yesterday today. That is not the truth. Many of these warriors have had their own struggles and obstacles; yet they still chose to get up and fight every day and protect every day.
You see, a warriors number one goal in my opinion is to let the inner warrior out and fight for what you believe in. This by no means that you have to be violent; however, you can use the strength of your self to defeat the evils within and outside. There are many people that are warriors and they do not realize that they are. These are people that have been bullied, abused, tossed aside, ridiculed, defeated, and demeaned. Some of these things may not be attributed to you; however, you are still a warrior. You have the power to fight and overcome any situation that you have come across throughout your life.
Have you ever stopped and looked back at your life and said wow I made it through it. That my friend is a warrior. A person who has seen adversity and made it through. As I sit here I am going through a battle and correcting the mistakes I have made. I refuse to let someone dictate who I am and that this mountain can not be climbed and conquered. That is a warrior.
You may be getting bullied at school, work, from family, or friends. You have the chose to stand up for yourself and not retaliate or get made but to share hope and love back to those that bully you. They are trying to dominate you and tell you are worthless. You can take that power away from them by knowing your worth and showing love. In some situations, you just walk away. However; if you retaliate then they have won counter their negative with positives about them. That my friends is a warrior.
Now if the situation is more violent in nature defend yourself and call the proper authorities. If the assault you that is a crime and the punishment for their actions should be held accountable for. To those women and men that are being abused by a spouse, partner, boyfriend, girlfriend, or anyone other category. You have the power to get out and stand up for yourself. Reach out to organizations that are there for you to get out and to be protected. Seek the therapist to conquer the damage.
To those who know something is wrong within their mental and emotional state and you have reached out to a therapist, support group, AA, NA, PTSD support groups, and whatever may be plaguing you from allowing the inner warrior to come out. You are to be encouraged as you are moving in the paths of warriors conquering the evil within and coming out stronger and better than you were yesterday.
Find your voice and your strength. Protect yourself and then you can protect others. Let your warrior come out and the change in your immediate world will change. Yes there are warriors that go at it alone; however, most in history had other warriors fighting alongside them for victory. Find your clan of warriors and fight!
Be Bold! Be Courageous! Be Fearless!
Every Path has Endings
As I contemplated this post, I had several ideas run through my head. This morning as I woke up, I was reminded of one of the most influential books I have ever read. No this is not the Bible; however, that is the top of my list. This book was suggested to me by a member of a small group I was a part of when I was in the mortgage industry and was searching for my next steps in life. I was at a crossroads and knew that an ending was coming; however, I did not know what that ending was and what the new beginning was going to entail. I was scared, confused, full of fear, lacked boldness and courage. To put it plainly, I was lost. I had no passion or zeal for life and was just barely making it. I was failing in the mortgage industry and in fact was doing a job that I was not created to do. For those in the industry I tip my hat to you as it is definitely a difficult job and necessary position; however, it just wasn’t for me.
This friend acquaintance shared with me a book that ultimately put me on the trajectory path to launch Path of One. This book is about business; however, the impact of the book can be felt not just in business, but in your personal life as well. Dr. Henry Cloud, a psychologist and leadership guru wrote a book many people will recognize Boundaries; however, this is not the book I am discussing. His book Necessary Endings; however, is this book. The premise is that sometimes in business you have to make necessary endings when dealing with projects that are wasting money and the payoff is not coming to fruition. Then there are times that toxic people just need to be let go and get them out of the organization. He calls these people pure evil and you just need to get the lawyers involved and move on. There are two other categories of people that Dr. Cloud talks about in the book and those are wise people that take direction and correction with ease and make the necessary adjustments. The third group is the foolish. Now this is not saying that they are fools running fools’ errands; however, more on that they are not growing in their position or they are not getting the job done. These people if given the opportunity to correct themselves and put into a performance improvement time frame may very well become wise employees; however, with expectations laid out they will know the outcome if they don’t perform.
Foolish may even contribute to where I was at in life. I was not performing well at all at the mortgage company I was at. I was making my calls, yet I was not making progress. I had these passions of helping people and I thought why not mortgage as I had already tried financial services and life insurance. These jobs caused me more stress than I could have imagined, and I needed desperate direction. As I said, this book is more about leadership than personal; however, I saw myself in that book and knew what I needed to do. I put in my resignation and began to take the time to figure out what was next. On a side note, I would not advise someone to just resign their position without a failsafe, i.e. another job. This is what I did and took a few weeks to regain some clarity in life and added other stressors; however, I swallowed my pride and went back to work in the hospitality industry.
Now, you may be saying how did your necessary ending impact you today? That’s a great question. See I went to work at restaurant where I live and quickly became a bartender and trainer within the organization; yet I still wasn’t feeling that I was headed anywhere and though I am good at what I do, I was not passionate about it. One night after work around three in the morning, I opened up my laptop and started Googling grad school programs. To this day I do not remember what I Googled; however, I found a Colorado State University – Global and was started the process of earning my Dual Master of Sciences in Management and Organizational Leadership with an International Business Specialization. My heart’s desire is to help as many people achieve their goals and dreams and make their path a path of brilliant colors.
I know many people right now are looking for change and very well coming up to a necessary ending in life. This can come in many forms. An ending in where you live and moving to a new city, state, or country. Ending a dead-end job and pursuing your dreams and starting a business or going back to school. Taking a necessary ending in a relationship that could be toxic or just has run the course. Whatever your ending is, make the decision to move and allow the ending to launch a new beginning.
If it is a project at work that needs a necessary ending begin the process of change management and being to communicate the change to key associates. During necessary endings and change, always make sure you communicate the why the ending is needed and what the plan is going forward. Allow your staff to process the change and be available to answer any and all questions needed so they are onboard and will help guide the team through the change. Necessary endings are never easy in business nor personal; however, they are needed and can ultimately catapult you to your passion and purpose.
Be Bold! Be Courageous! Be Fearless!
Joel
If you would like to read these books mentioned in the blog feel free to click on the links in the blog or click here: