Waiting for the Return to Normal

CONTENTS
1. Waiting for the Return to Normal
2. Quote of the Month

WAITING FOR THE WORLD TO RETURN TO NORMAL
How many of you are waiting for the world to "return to normal?" I sometimes catch myself thinking, "Once the economy improves I can do this," or "As soon as the terrorist threat is dealt with I will do that." These thoughts amuse me. As a wise sage once said, "You can never dip your toe into the same river twice." The world has been forever changed by the events of the past year. THIS is the world we live in now. It certainly will change. But it won't change BACK.

I hear a lot about businesses that are "hunkering down", but I don’t understand why. I can't think of a less empowering stance at this time. If anything, now is the time for dramatic leadership, creativity and renewal. Rather than waiting to find the light at the end of the tunnel, how about exploring what new possibilities exist IN the tunnel? Let's realize that the light at the end is NOT necessarily an oncoming train, but IS often just a break BETWEEN tunnels. I say "learn to love the tunnel."

What can businesses do? How about creating a life-affirming company culture that becomes a competitive advantage? Roughly 60% of employees don't like their jobs and feel no commitment towards the goals of their company. What if corporate leaders decided to engage the enormous untapped power of their employees to create their next business opportunity, rather than merely waiting for the rising tide that lifts all boats?

The book, "First Break All the Rules," based on a Gallup Poll study of almost 200,000 workers, outlines very simply and beautifully how to help people bring their best efforts to the workplace. It costs businesses little time and almost no money. It can be as simple as ensuring that employees know what is expected of them, and then providing them with the tools they need to do their jobs. It also means expressing a sincere "thank you" for a job well done. Not rocket science.

We are all creating the world we live in each moment. What kind of world shall we create next? Let's make this moment count. As an insurance ad once said: "Life is a tornado watch. You can hunker down in the basement, or you can stand on the roof, let the wind give you rock star hair and yell "I KNEW you were coming, that's why I didn't rake the leaves!"

QUOTE OF THE MONTH
“Where there is great love there are always miracles. Miracles rest not so much upon faces or voices or healing power coming to us from afar, but on our perceptions being made finer, so that for a moment our eyes can see and our ears can hear what is there about us always.” - Willa Cather