Good Morning, Friends!

 

It’s good to be back! I hope you had a wonderful summer, taking time to smell the roses and experience life to its fullest. “The best parts of life are often the thinnest slice,” to quote an old song. I hope you enjoyed your share.

I took a short, well-needed hiatus during August. It would be an understatement to say that 2021 has been a challenging year. My father’s death due to COVID, the loss of my wife to pancreatic cancer and having COVID and pneumonia myself have been 2021’s mile markers.

I needed a little time to check out and check in on myself. The terrific news is that I am experiencing life in new ways and embracing a world of change. As Intentional Leaders, we know that transitions and transformation are challenging. But, we define ourselves in our ability to recognize the need for change and seizing the opportunity for growth.

But what holds us back? Even as I was responding to changes forced upon me and dealing with transitions that I never considered, adapting to the new reality was challenging. I was living in an adult world with adult problems. I was losing my ability to see the world and its wonderment.

When I was a young child, I loved pretending to fly. I would run around the house and yard with outstretched arms imagining that I was soaring over the world. My five-year-old self grabbed onto the wings of life and flew.

Sometimes with arms spread wide, I would spin around until I became dizzy. Unafraid, I would spin faster and faster until I fell to the ground laughing. Still dizzy, I would get up and do it again and again. Oh, what I be that five-year-old Tim again – fearless, courageous, adventuresome, and full of wonder.

But in reality, do I have to dream of being five years old again? No! Absolutely not! I am that five-year boy of wonder. He still lives inside of me. So, last month, I let my five-year self out to play. I flew and tasted the blade of grass. I allowed myself to dream big, and I embraced life in new ways.

My inner child doesn’t question the future. He creates his path with arms stretched wide, experiencing continual change. Not only are these transitions good, but they are essential to growing in every way possible.

So, if you see me in a park with my arms out running in circles, I am not crazy. Would you please come and join me?

So, go forward and be AWESOME!

Capturing Innocence

As Intentional Leaders, we strive for progress, success, and perfection. We constantly search for new and better ways to accomplish the task at hand. We challenge ourselves to be better at everything, including being better humans. We want those around us to succeed and experience unprecedented success. We can become consumed with intense focus, and we become all business-like in our approach to life.

But is success, greatness, and evolution all about being more business-like? I would challenge you to rethink your methods. Here is an excellent article from LifeHack.com, “7 Reasons People With Childlike Hearts Are More Likely To Be Successful,” that can help you reframe your outlook. 

[VIDEO] Taking Care of Yourself

Here is a fantastic commercial that packs a powerful message in 90 seconds. As Intentional Leaders, we need to take care of ourselves before we can care for and lead others.

By the Numbers

The “Great Resignation” is here, and it’s here to stay. Employees are leaving their job or are considering leaving their jobs at unprecedented levels. Our employees are looking for something more than a simple paycheck. But are we allowing them to find more meaning, value, and creativity in the workplace? I think not.

According to Richard Florida’s Creative Class research, open jobs were categorized into work requiring independent judgment, decision making, and idea generation. Nearly 60% of US jobs (77% worldwide) needed few if any of these three creative acts.

This doesn’t mean that 60% of American workers are not creative but instead that their creativity is not being tapped. What if we could tap into that creative power and potential within our employees? What would this do for our businesses?

Inspiration

Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence La Comédie is viewed as his magnum opus. Balzac is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature due to his keen observation of detail and unfiltered representation of society.

An enthusiastic reader and independent thinker as a child, Balzac had trouble adapting to the teaching style of his grammar school. His rebellious nature caused problems throughout his life and frustrated his ambitions to succeed in the world of business.

I love this quote because it inspires us to dream of greatness but never surrender our childlike nature.

“It is the mark of a great man that he puts to flight all ordinary calculations. He is at once sublime and touching, childlike and of the race of giants.”
– Honoré de Balzac