FULLY INTO THE FOREIGN

I put myself in a foreign place.

I felt my stomach clench.

 

I recognized this

and shifted my thoughts from

“I am afraid” to “I am feeling afraid.”

(I’m not sure if it helped really.)

 

I remembered times when,  

expecting the worst,

I only experienced the

not so bad

or even

the more than pleasant.

 

I shifted my thoughts --

the clenching stomach

meant I was about to experience something

I hadn’t,

like a first kiss

or lover’s touch.

 

And so I stepped

more fully

into the foreign

and decided to call it

an adventure.

 

UNFOLDING LIFE

I received a letter

(remember snail mail?)

written on half sheets

all folded with care.

 

Script covered front and back,

the lines were straight,

the penmanship clear.

As I read,

I had to unfold and flip the pages,

like a note passed during English class.

(do kids do this anymore?)

 

So unlike an email,

which lays out before you

in its entirety,

this handwritten note

reminded me that

our years,

our days,

our hours,

unfold.

 

And as much as we would like

to have it all laid out in front of us,

this is the way of things.  

 

STACK THE WAGON

After the alfalfa was cut into

windrows

and left to dry just so,

the baler gobbled up the hay,

spitting out square packages

wrapped with twine.

 

Picking them up required three people,

one to drive the tractor followed by the trailer,

one to walk alongside and throw the bales,

and

one to stack.

 

Stacking always seemed a bit of an art form --

building bale levels higher and higher.

 

Sloppy stacking led to inefficiency,

too many trips back and forth.

 

A few too many bales could mean

an unsteady load,

an accident waiting to happen.

 

And so it is with bales

and

life,

we all must learn how to

stack the wagon.

THE IN HERE WORK

Owners,

 

leaders,

managers,

and

everyone in the C - suite

take note.

 

The well-being,

the health,

the growth,

the possibility

of your

company,

project,

team

is only as good

as your own.  

 

You may think

your work

is

“out there”,

but

it is first

and

foremost

and

always

in here.  

 

Are you doing the “in here” work?

 

TURF AND SILOS

This turf you’re protecting.

The silo you’re fortifying.

 

Whose will they be when

it’s

all over,

the project finished,

the company acquired,

the division right-sized?

 

Better to build

relationships,

webs,

connections

that supersede

the notion of

turf and silos.

 

Besides,

turf is for walking and playing on

and

silos are for storing grain.

 

FROM BEING BOSSED TO BEING THE BOSS

When you move from

being bossed

to

being the boss,

expect some disruption.

 

Choosing what must be done every day

is

more difficult than you may think.

 

Self-doubt will creep in.

You may be tempted to check

your social media distractions

more often.

 

You will realize you don’t have the skills

for this role...yet.

 

Like beginning a new workout routine,

where you feel

awkward

and

weak,

your new position will begin to shape you

if you keep showing up

Every. Single. Day.

 

WILLFUL FAILURE

Where there is a will

there is a way.

 

Not so fast.

 

How many times have you sought

to will yourself

to change something?

 

How many New Year’s resolutions

died on January 3?

 

Mostly the will is weak,

prone to failure.

 

If you’re going to make a change,

personally,

professionally,

relationally,

physically,

emotionally,

you have to shift your environment.

 

Change your surroundings --

the food in your cupboards,

the drinks in the fridge,

the clutter on your desk,

the people to whom you listen,

what you read --

and

your “will”

will follow.

 

Otherwise, it’s willful failure.

 

DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE

The Declaration of Independence

came into being

because

a group of people

knew

they could not go it

alone.

 

Yet, we still believe the myth of

the self-made man (or woman).

 

We stand in awe of those who

“go it alone”

and

“make their own way.”

 

Then, we beat ourselves up for not being a trailblazer.

 

In fact, anyone who is truly

master of their domain

has a

declaration of interdependence.

 

They know they can not/could not

be where they are without

a network,

a support system,

a band of sisters and brothers.

 

This is as true

at work as it is at home,

at home as it is in our community,

in our community, as it is in our country,

in our country as it is in our world.

 

We forget our interdependence at our peril.