Memorial Day – A Normal Holiday?

I hesitate to use the word “normal”, but this weekend feels good!  It is our first real holiday since New Year’s Day of 2020.

Yes, it is about the start of the summer, with beer, BBQ and upcoming coming trips to the beach.  There is baseball, watermelon and the kids being out of school. Many of these things are happening live and in person this year. But, please do not forget the true meaning of the holiday.  People have died serving our country and defending the freedoms we enjoy. This day is set aside to remember and honor those sacrifices.  Take a minute to think about that.  Make sure your children or grandchildren understand the price of freedom and the reason for the holiday. It is great to see things normalizing. Just make sure that acknowledging the meaning of the holiday is part of your “normal”.

Have a blessed and happy Memorial Day!

Energy Leaks

Have you ever heard of something called an energy leak?  It is a feeling, behavior or attitude  that drains you of energy.  Energy leaks are wasteful, they drain people of positive energy for no good reason.  Some examples of potential energy leaks...

- Jealousy

- Judging others

- Holding grudges

- Petty bickering

- The blame game

There are many, maybe hundreds more.  Everybody has these, they may be different from those listed, but we all have them.  The interesting thing is, we know it.  For some reason we think these thoughts and feelings might make us feel better.  The truth is, that energy spent on these feelings and behaviors is a waste.  It produces no positive outcome and sucks the energy right out of you.  Use your energy on positive thoughts, feeling and behaviors and stop wasting time on energy leaks! Enjoy the quote below..

 “Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.”

-               Warren Buffett

Thoughts on Change…

Stagnation should not be an option in life, but it is.  As humans we must change, grow, develop, and mature.  Failure to do so leads to stagnation, which in turn leads to boredom, failure, and frustration.  The world constantly changes around us.  The last fifteen months of the pandemic has led to even more change than normal, drastic, and unprecedented change. If we do not adapt to change, we will be left behind.  That is true as much in our work world as it is in our home life.  The business world of instant communications, corporate transparency and the world-wide economy is drastically different than it was just a few short years ago.  In the same way, raising kids is not what it was just 5 years ago, never mind 25 years ago. 

It is important that we embrace change in order to keep up with the ever-changing world, but more importantly to grow personally.  We cannot control the change that takes place around us but changing ourselves is a choice.  We can choose to change for the good.  Below is a great quote on the topic of change and why it is so important in our lives.

"Change is the Law of Life. Those who only look to the past or present are certain to miss the future."

- John F. Kennedy

Risk

I do not consider myself to be much of a risk taker.  Maybe that is not totally true since I am a small business owner.  Unfortunately, not much in life can be accomplished without risk.  A risk-free life might feel safe and comfortable, but it may also feel empty and lacking purpose or direction.  I cannot think of anybody that I consider successful who has not taken risks.  In fact, most have failed multiple times on their path to success.  Risk taking is even more important to leaders.  As leaders, we must often take the risks that others are not willing to take.  We take the risk for the team.  Consider these quotes…

"Progress involves risk. You can't steal second base and keep your foot on first."

            - Frederick Wilcox   

"Leaders take risks. That's not to say that they are reckless, because good leaders aren't. But they don't always take the safest route. Rarely can a person break ground and play it safe at the same time."

            - John C. Maxwell - The Right to Lead

Relationships

Humans are meant to live in community.  We are not built to tackle life alone.  Our lives are a series of unique relationships with those around us.  Unfortunately, in this social media driven world, those relationships can be shallow and meaningless as they are measured in likes, follows and heart emojis.  There are a lot of different types of relationships, they all play different roles in our lives, but we need at least a few truly meaningful people in our lives. Those are the people you can sit in silence with, not feeling the need to speak. You can call on them any time of the day or night. They are more than friends.

Here is the key to great relationships.  You have to understand that they are never fifty-fifty. True relationships are often sixty-forty, sometimes eighty-twenty.  Sometimes, you will be the twenty and at other times you will be the eighty!  The key is to accept and be okay with that.  If you expect a relationship to be fifty-fifty all the time, you will be greatly disappointed.  If you try to keep score for when you are the sixty verses when you are the forty, you will be frustrated.  Relationships are as much about giving as they are receiving. They require hard work. 

Life is all about relationships.  Understand that they are not fifty-fifty and make sure you are investing in the relationships that are important to you.