“You have to cherish things in a different way when you know the clock is ticking, you are under pressure.” –Chadwick Boseman
As Kiev shopkeepers stay open in an effort to keep the Ukrainian economy running while bombs drop among them, Shanghai is shutting down amid a zero-tolerance COVID policy. Military muscles are flexing around the world and leaders are exchanging in a war of words. The world, it’s supply lines, our local businesses, and those touched by the global economy (all of us) are on edge.
Avoiding breaking news reports and simply thinking positively will not change this reality (although it wouldn’t hurt).
What to do?
Soberly focus on what you can control and clear a path for your success in these areas. Applying your resources and time to the things in your grasp will help everyone move forward, including those around you and within your community.
Patiently begin to make the changes necessary to achieve your goals in a changing world. Don’t let volatility freeze your actions. Much of the future is predictable and foreseeable when we pause to think, read, analyze, and observe the changes underway. If you knew tomorrow’s headline today, what actions would you take right now?
Thoughtfully take the time necessary to develop, deepen, and build new relationships that endure through big and small changes. Positive relationships are something within your control and taking the time to listen and learn through an expanded circle of allies will help to inform and expand your understanding of the complex issues we are all facing. Make sure to spend time with those that you can learn from, that challenge your assumptions and offer alternative perspectives. You will be better for it.
You may have your own suggestions and I would love to hear them, but by employing these practices you will undoubtedly move forward and help yourself and those around you.
Toward peace and prosperity.
-Kenny McDonald