How was your weekend? You thought I had forgotten the GMN? Wrong, I just had a short night! I hope everyone in your households is safe, and I pray that things will improve across the country on every front.
Tip of the week: PERSPECTIVE MATTERS, FOCUS ON THE BAGEL! Last week was a ‘foodie’ week, or if you want it less glamorous but equally tasty, it was a ‘gordito’ week. One small gathering after the other ensured that my dieting aspirations got mercilessly postponed. I was happy, concerned, and sad. Happy because I was breaking bread with people I’ve come to love; concerned because my waistline does not decrease (to say the least!); and sad because the lunches and dinners were farewells to one of our own. As I pondered on the week, I noticed that I was smiling, which got me worried. Am I becoming crazy? Why on earth was I smiling and feeling good if ‘everything’ around me is either challenging, depressing, or uncertain? Some good friends are leaving or have left; the pandemic continues striking us daily on every front; we are witnessing sobering scenes of violence in our streets; we have new and unexpected frustrations brewing out of our daily work, and to top it all, many of us cannot even be sure if we will be able to spend the upcoming Christmas with our families! But there I was, smiling and feeling content. Crazy, right? Perhaps not.
While everything I noticed before is factually true, it is also true that the impact those ‘facts’ have on me depends on how I process them. Whether I am smiling or crying (which is not bad in itself either) derives from ‘my perspective’ regarding those truths. Still, I realized that ‘my perspective’ depends -to a great degree- on those I surround myself with and how our interaction builds such perspective. I concluded that I am not crazy (or so I think). I am just surrounded by people who see what they want and go for it, instead of seeing what is impeding them to get what they want. That is the explanation I found behind my feeling of contentment and my smile amidst the adversities. Have you checked who you are hanging out with -even virtually- lately? Are they helping you build the ‘perspective’ that helps to get the best out of you?
This thought brought me to the videos shared below -you’ll see why it is crucial to ‘focus on the bagel’- and reminded me of a person I met back home and inspires me ever since: A single mother of three and already a grandmother, an inmigrant without a university degree, who was recently laid off by her employer, amidst a severe and deteriorating financial crisis, who decided to ‘focus on the bagel’ and eat it! As a true entrepreneur, instead of focusing on the obstacles rising in front of her, she focused on the goal. From her ‘perspective,’ losing her job was a challenge -of course- but it also created an opportunity. Yes, she gave herself a new job: to identify the hidden opportunity and act on it… And guess what, she did! Her former colleagues are now part of her business network and, although still a developing business, she will likely be better off tomorrow than she was yesterday.
Is it guaranteed that we will all be successful in our endeavours in these trying times? Is it even guaranteed that my friend will be successful all along? Not really. However, I can assure you that if our perspective is not focused on the goals derived from our why’s, no matter how well -or badk- we objectively are, we will never feel content or satisfied.
I encourage you to review the videos below, and remember to ask yourself why you do what you do? who are you? and who do you want to be? Surround yourself with people who believe in what you believe, and be ready to help each other out. It works!
These are not unprecedented times (Simon Sinek talking to his team)
Things I wish I knew when I was younger:
https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=p9gzGmyDJvc
Start with why?
Summary of the book Start with Why:
https://www.freshworks.com/freshsales-crm/resources/summary-of-start-with-why-blog/
I hope that you have a wonderful week!