BE STILL

This morning after my quiet time I decided to pull up Facebook.

I noticed a post that perhaps hit me in the midst of my emotions. The post, was quite common. A lash out at the frustration of business closures and the statement " If that is worst thing that could happen its not that bad "; he was talking about the 150,000 people who have died. I opted to breathe, pray and in turn take a moment to help this man see from someone else’s perspective. With that being said, I truly believe people are often voicing emotion without truly taking understanding how their words could be perceived. I also think as a whole we could all benefit from taking a little better approach.

My words do him this am.

I believe I have a pretty diverse understanding and appreciation for the destructive nature of this virus. Personally I have lost thousands of dollars, I have worked tirelessly to help clients through PPP, had several lose money in their business, had friends get crushed in their health and end up in ICU, I have clients in the medical field who have worked more hours and pushed harder than ever because of an illness that requires so much more work than normal and last night I lost my father to this horrible disease after a 3 week battle.

This man committed his life to practicing medicine and although he was high risk he opted to go to work daily to battle this breakout in his small rural town because it was much worse and harder than any flu he had seen. So from my perspective it is truly hard to label any one thing as the “worst” thing that has happened.

For the person who has to go home fearful of getting their spouse sick but still needs to work.... it has to be horrible.

For the child who understands that their is risk in going to school and being with their friends and can’t wait to see them but loves their high risk grandmother and fears for them... it has to be horrible.

For the business owner who is simply trying to adhere to rules outlined by a governing body and gets slammed by patrons in what would be a perpetual no win situation as their revenues struggle...it has to be horrible

For a teacher who has a heart for kids ( trust me you don’t teach for money) and wants nothing more than to get into her classroom but has a high risk condition or spouse.... it has to be horrible.

For the person who worked their ass off to get to retirement only to realize they can’t travel as much because of their safety and perhaps,enjoy their time with grand kids without fear because they are high risk....it has to be horrible.

For the business owner who cashed in their chips to start their own business only to be shut down which is out of their control ....it has to be horrible.

There are countless examples but as Americans, humans and leaders in our society have to determine to make a choice. That choice is that we are either enraged enough by any of these things to step up, get out of our comfort zone and lead a charge against them. Or we accept the current challenges we face collectively as a Nation and work collaboratively and in unison to simply be better. To identify that the answers are not universal and while we have feelings related to our experience, we have to be able to embrace others fight as well. To recognize their struggle, acknowledge it and while we may not embrace the way they feel we can certainly empathize and understand that to their "worst" thing may be completely different than hours and in turn we should look to be mindful of our words. ( Keep in mind I am not endorsing anything that lacks the moral and ethical values of our nation ) .

Part of that starts with a simple PAUSE or as Dan Crenshaw put in his book Fortitude we need to BE STILL and determine what our next move will be. Look at our surroundings and determine if we are going to make difference or just spout emotionally charged word vomit into the universe with the hopes it lands on someone. Trust me, it is better to be a difference maker. There is a book called Proverbs in the Bible that outlines quite a bit about the power of patience and minding the tongue.

So the questions I would have for myself and my peers...

Are you attempting to be of value with this post?

Will this ignite a positive change?

As a business owner will this help create a unified message to help you secure more clients and drive the economy? Or risk pushing others away? Is this on Brand?

Will this help you stand out as a leader? Someone who is prepared to take action against anything that strikes you as a sheer injustice to the process?

Could you stand up in a room full of people and argue this same point, with facts, data and thoughtful insight or would it turn into a shouting match that goes nowhere? What would happen if you were fact checked, or God forbid you actually had to say what it to someones face.

If it does not do those things, then regardless of your stance ( mind you it could be any stance ) is simply lost in a crowd of noisy, loud and counterproductive activity. I too am often guilty of this type of post, this type of response to things that create an emotion in me. That’s what makes us human. But collectively as Americans we have to COMMIT to being better. For me I am going to try to visualize my Mom, my political mentor, my clients, my wife and my daughter as my audience going forward. If my message would not pass the test with them then I will do my best to refrain from it.

I know I am prepared to make that commitment.

Perhaps you can too?

United we stand, divided we fall.