 Photo by Carolina Pimenta on Unsplash Hatred Judgment Division Fear These are the underlying afflictions causing dis-ease in people, negatively affecting communities, companies, and the health of our planet. Depression, anxiety, suicide, and mass shootings have become commonplace. Our “networks” reach far and wide and inundate us with an overwhelming amount of surface-level information about what’s going on in the world. These things take space in our consciousness, they dominate our mental realities. But what exists in the here and now? Whose lives do we touch on a daily basis and who do we know and love deeply? When we make goals for ourselves, how many of them exist in the metaverse of virtual reality, and how many exist in our tangible reality? These are the things I have been thinking about for the past year. One year ago, you could say I was going through a dark night of the soul. I had been laid off from a job and company I loved in a way that brought up past trauma. The hatred and division of the pandemic had left me feeling hopeless, with no light at the end of the tunnel. Humanity felt doomed. A blessing in disguise, my layoff allowed some space from the barrage of hate-filled news about people like me, once accepted and loved, now looked at like a leper, for a difference in spiritual beliefs about what I will or will not put into my body. Try as I might to find a new role and company, I was not hired for any role I applied for and the demons of self-doubt came with every silence after submitting a newly polished resume and meticulously crafted heart-felt cover letter. The steadfast support of my mother who invited me to move my daughter and myself in with her when I knew I wanted to start my MBA degree in 2021 and when my work was still remote after almost two years, was my saving grace. And throughout my MBA journey, I have also found hope in every course and every book that highlighted a new way of leading businesses. Certain books and authors I’ve discovered here on LinkedIn have given me hope that the world we really want to create for ourselves and each other is one filled with human-centered companies that see and honor each individual for all of who they are and how they contribute. One book I recently discovered, titled, “Love as a Business Strategy” (Anwar et al., 2021) solidified in my mind that our world is slowly awakening from the shadow of fear and is ready to choose love. I do have a place here. It is not too late for humanity. Looking back on this unusual year, I see that I was often lost in curating goals; which books to read to “know enough,” which additional trainings to take to be “good enough,” or which world problems to focus on solving to be “on brand” enough for my own life! And then I realized, I was focusing on the wrong things. While my intentions were good, it is too easy to turn Life Purpose into another thing to madly consume more knowledge on, or madly grow my network of people who must be better at said goal than me, all while feeling more empty the larger my surface-level connections and virtual network amassed to. Wiping the slate clean, removing the need for voracious consumption of all kinds, this year I have four goals or ways of being that I feel will lead me to a deeply fulfilling, peaceful, and purposeful life and I propose may change your life and business as well. My Four Intentions for 2023 1. Be Kind This virtue alone could be enough to transform our world as I see its revolutionary quality when used towards ourselves and others. Imagine a world where even bad news (like a layoff) was delivered with kindness… Imagine the effect of public education on children where teachers were always kind, no matter how frustrated they became… 2. Slow Down (Be intentional with time) What would it be like to approach life with a keen awareness of how we invest our time, developing a slowed-down intention of being 100% present and committed to the activities we choose to fill our days with? Imagine the deep satisfaction felt with this level of intention. 3. Simplify Now fully aware of how we spend our days, with the goal of being intentional with our time, we may become aware that not all goals/purchases/activities align with how we want our slowed-down lives to feel. Simplifying or pruning every area of our life, from business activities and goals to the number of things we own will provide the space for mental clarity and peace and the ability to invest in what will have the biggest impact for ourselves and others. 4. Savor Magic, wonder, awe, beauty. They are all around us at all times. With an intention to savor life more, we will notice the beauty and talent in the people we work with, in our quirky family or neighbors, and with all things that make up our present realities. We will enjoy this moment or simply value it for what it brings to our lives even if it is challenging, because, we have an awareness that this moment will soon pass. I still don’t know exactly what my future holds, but after a year of soul (and job) searching I’ve gained clarity on the goals that matter. Operating with these intentions and living my truth will lead me to the right people at the right times. I am here for a purpose, I have unique gifts and perspectives from a life path that is 100% mine and that I have no regrets about. (Thank you April Rinne for inviting me to see my career as a portfolio, full of unique accomplishments). Yes, the world is full of problems and we can all get overwhelmed with fear, anger, and judgment. And, there is hope for all of us. We can work together to heal our workplaces, heal our political divides, and leave judgment and shaming behind us. The first step? Be kind.
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