Your “Accidental Journey”
Are you in a place in your life (family, career, hobbies, etc…) that was planned years ago? I’d make a guess that the answer for most people reading this is the same as mine, “Nope…” The majority of us work our way through life by making the best decisions we can with the information we have at the time. Sure, we plan for the future and we dream about where we want to go – but inevitably, a rogue wave pops up and we are faced with a decision on which way to point the boat.
So if we know the future will hold uncertainty, how do we best prepare? I think there are some fundamental principles that apply to individuals as well as organizations.
1) Know your foundational beliefs
These things don’t change. They are the principles that are imbedded in your DNA and are permanent. You will walk away from a job or a relationship if these are compromised. An organization will stand on these foundations at the expense of financial gain. In good times and bad, these beliefs guide you.
2) Healthy cash reserves buy time
Having access to cash makes all the difference in difficult times. Trouble is at hand when aggressive financial decisions during boom cycles have not played out when the cycle turns down (see any daily newspaper). Having cash when others don’t creates opportunity and it creates breathing room.
3) Relationships with the people in your sphere of influence are key
By nature, humans are a selfish lot – we think first about our issues and our world. When everyone is thinking this way, it’s difficult to get things done due to the individual agendas all are focused on. What would happen if we first worked to understand what others were thinking? What if we worked to help people accomplish their goals within the context of our ability to help? I’d suggest relationships would be strengthened and everyone within the influence of that relationship would have more opportunity to accomplish individual goals.
4) Maintain personal health and perspective
None of us are indispensable, yet we are valuable. For a moment, place yourself at the end of your life and look back. Do you like what you see? Did you get done what you believe you were put here to do? Did you take care of all your talent? Did you live life fully? The deal is, at some point, we’re all going to be facing the reality of the answers to those questions. Decide now to choose how you want your answers to look.
So…know what you stand for, make sure you can fund difficult times, maintain healthy relationships and be a good steward of your health and your talents. Whether these are applied on an individual basis or on an organizational basis, they will prepare you for the Accidental Journey we all travel.
Tom
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