Be A Light

Today’s MMM is brought to you by Thomas Rhett.  He has released a great new song with some very timely lyrics.  The one line that is the heart of the song is “In a world full of hate, be a light”.  Our world needs light.  We need peace and we need to step back and look at the big picture.  Hate and anger are powerful, and they can snowball out of control.  Now is a great time to be a light!  Consider the meaning of these lyrics.  Better yet, consider acting out these lyrics.

In a time full of war, be peace
In a time full of doubt, just believe
Yeah, there ain't that much difference between you and me
In a time full of war, be peace

In a world full of hate, be a light
When you do somebody wrong, make it right
Don't hide in the dark, you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light

In a place that needs change, make a difference
In a time full of noise, just listen
'Cause life is but a breeze, better live it
In a place that needs a change, make a difference

In a world full of hate, be a light
When you do somebody wrong, make it right
Oh, don't hide in the dark, you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light

In a race that you can't win, slow it down
Yeah, you only get one go around
'Cause the finish line is six feet in the ground
In a race you can't win, just slow it down

In a world full of hate, be a light (oh)
When you do somebody wrong, make it right (make it right)
Don't hide in the dark (don't hide in the dark), you were born to shine
In a world full of hate, be a light

Yeah, it's hard to live in color, when you just see black and white
In a world full of hate, be a light

Don’t Just Wait

When the pandemic started a lot of us thought that we could wait it out.  I can remember discussions with friends and clients about getting this behind us by summer or at least by the fall.  Here we are one week from September and it is far from over.  It is clear now that we cannot simply wait until this is over.  I do believe that it will be over, however, that will not happen like a light switch being turned off.  Even when COVID-19 is largely behind us things will not be the same.  I don’t care for the term “new normal”, but things will definitely be different.  People’s habits have changed, we live differently now.  We shop differently, we eat out differently (or not at all).  Folks are not traveling and likely will not return to the same travel habits quickly.  Social gatherings and entertainment venues will look very different. 

We cannot wait for things to return to normal.  As leaders we need to take action.  If your initial reaction for personal plans or for your business was to wait it out before adapting, you need to re-think that strategy.  If your business is dependent upon things returning to a pre-COVID-19 status you need to change your plans.  We simply cannot afford to wait; we need to be making decisions now.  I understand that there is a lot of uncertainty.  I realize you might not have all the data you would like to have to act.  In time like these taking some action is better than no action at all.  If we want to come out of this smarter and more successful, we need to be deciding how to go about that now!

There are two great times to plant a tree, thirty years ago and today!

Mountains to Die On

Life is full of opportunities for us to take on battles.  There are times when it is important that we go to battle; take a stance for causes that we believe in; stand up for what is right.  Those situations are mountains worth dying on.  There are other mountains not worth the battle.  Some disagreements and conflicts simply are not worth the fight.  Maybe the issue is not that significant, not an issue of moral character or integrity.  Maybe the risks of battle far outweigh the rewards of victory.  Whatever the case, life requires us to wisely select the battles we choose to fight.  If you go through life without standing up for anything you will feel empty and regretful.  On the other hand, if you choose to fight every single little issue that comes along you will be in constant battle and probably will not experience many victories on the real important issues. 

Choose your battles carefully; some issues just are not the mountain to die on.

What is right or who is right…

What a great world it would be if we were all more concerned with what is right than who is right.  We spend a lot of time defending our position, arguing our viewpoint, and building our own individual case.  Is our position always what is right?  That seems doubtful.  There are times we may be arguing for what is right, but often we are just concerned with being right.  Sometimes we even know that we are not right, but we just cannot bring ourselves to admit that we are wrong.  It should not be about being wrong.  It should be about what is right.  Try and think more about what is right, for your company, for your family, for society; not who is right.  Be humble…

“Pride is concerned with who is right.

Humility is concerned with what is right.”

            -Ezra Taft Benson