Nature's Solace

This past week has been an emotional roller coaster for me in my professional career due to a multitude of changes. Change is often quite difficult to navigate. I caught myself reminding me of my saying that I share with weatherization contractors, which is "the only consistent thing in weatherization is challenge and change." Change is occurring around us at a rapid pace. Good change and bad change. This change that occurs, more often than not, is the perfect time to reflect, evaluate, and adjust. I am in the process of doing that. Sometimes sharing that thought becomes part of the healing process for me. I guess you could say writing is my form of art.

Our society often expects that employees self-sacrifice to ensure the wellbeing of an organization. This isn't always a bad thing as sometimes this grit is what it takes to be the change you wish to see. When you believe in the mission of your organization, it's easily justified in our minds. However, an organization has a responsibility to it's employees to ensure they have a supportive environment that promotes the individual contributor. If you are the leader of an organization, ask yourself these questions and give yourself time to evaluate and formulate a thoughtful response. Is my organization supporting my team the way that I want it to? Are we doing enough for the people who do everything for me?

For the first time in 6 years, I unplugged... Let that sink in. 6 years!

My anxiety went through the roof. What about this client meeting, what about my team, what about this opportunity, what about this client that called me and demanded for solution the same day without realizing that is what they are actually doing, what about my boss, will they think I'm unproductive, will they question my commitment to our organization? A million questions and a billion emotions. The real question I should have asked earlier on is what about me?

My unplugging process started last Wednesday when I pushed the power button and turned off all communications to my job. I got on my mountain bike and climbed a snow covered mountain letting the emotion come out with every pedal. I summited the mountain and stepped off my bike breathing heavily with tears streaming down my face. I looked at the tracks in the snow that I just made and realized there were no tracks in front of my bike. An opportunity was right in front of me.

I walked a few yards from my bike and fell to my knees. I tend to not publicly discuss my faith in the professional realm, but I really want to share this experience because it's pivotal in my healing. As I was on my knees looking up to the picture you see above, I realized the peace. I prayed for people that I struggled to pray for. I tried to give grace the same way I receive it. But the most important thing that I did, was that I forgave them. Forgiveness is not an easy thing to dish out at times, but I needed to do it for me and for them. I also forgave myself for the mistakes I have made. I can relate with the struggle that they are facing all to well.

I took a deep breathe and stood up. I rose up with a new sense of purpose and an opportunity to let go of the past. I left it right there in that wilderness where it belongs. I'm better for it. I've since transitioned into being a better partner, father, and self. A lot can happen in a short amount of time. I've been silent in the professional front, but I'm doing great. I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed the changes all around me written on my face and the inevitable impacts of aging. But it felt like I was looking at an old friend I haven't seen in a while. Out loud, I said "welcome back, it's good to see you."

If this story sounds too familiar to you, my hope is that you use it as an opportunity to reconnect with you. Find you again, reset some boundaries, and welcome back the old friend that's still there. I'm grateful for my extensive network of people that I've met through the years and my community of people who get because I get them. In many ways, they've become family to me that I love dearly. As a collective group of people, we are really doing incredible things at a lightning speed pace. We're needed right now and there's not enough of us.

Culture at an organization isn't just a piece of paper with words on it. Culture is lived out in the people of the organization. It's seen in how you work with each other and is rooted like a tree deep into the earth. Seek to live out the culture you wish to see and you will be amazed at the willingness of others who will follow. Organizations don't need to work to hard to develop a culture statement, or mission, or purpose when they know there employees and what drives them. Embrace them because they embrace you. They are the organization.

Use nature as an outlet and embrace it. It will embrace you and give you a peace that passes all understanding. I'll leave you with this quote from John Muir, "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."