In a moment things can change…
September 11.
A very easy day to connect with flashing moments. How precious life is. How quickly things can change. How little control we really have. For most who are close me, living in the NY/NJ/CT area, this day comes with a heaviness, Americana and “never forgetting” slogans, reflections and images.
While I vividly remember where I was. I remember the fears that turned to anger and frustration. I remember despising that I was being given sympathy, when I craved empathy as I was far from home that day… and the weeks to follow. I think the most important aspect I have learned over time is to appreciate being in the moment, because it can change in an instant.
I heard a long time ago a quote that sounded similar to… “living in the past leads to depression, living in the future leads to anxiety but living in the present bring peace.”
Are you happy with the way you currently are living your life? Are you leaving a wake of goodness everywhere you touch? Will you regret a conversation if you find out in 2 minutes that person is no longer there?
See much of my professional work has been on transforming employee experience to help organizations drive larger ROI, better customer satisfaction and make a business more successful. The end result is inevitably for the survival and perhaps domination for an organization, but the day-to-day connections come from making the environment better. Sometimes it is making it easier to work, more thoughtful in how we communicate, better aligned to needs… so the small steps feel good and help distract that the larger goal has nothing to actually do with employees. Employees are just the catalyst to a better result.
When I coach executives I remind them of this. Not to bring depression. But to bring clarity to be directly in the moment. Recognize how they feel, how they make others feel and that it can all change in a moment. So are you proud?
So often people want to demand how you should feel, when the real secret to successful leadership is actively listening to how you make others feel. That is being in the present. That is impact. And that will always be welcome at the moment something changes.
Today’s changes, on the 24th anniversary of 9/11, may feel heavy and hard. You may feel torn, unheard, afraid and more. But only you can control how you pass along those feelings to others and I choose to reflect on today as a reminder to be grateful for the moment. Make the calls, remain positive, assume good intent…. and remove the aspects of your day (personal or professional) that take you out of this.
Not only will you help the world around you, you will be surprised how much you soar in the professional world with this mindset too.