One of the fundamental principles of our work at FIG is that every experience - every single one - is illuminating, instructive and valuable. Every interaction, every situation, every exchange, every person who enters our lives, every economic, social or business challenge, every hurdle or success: they’re ALL teachers. Even a pandemic.
As we bid adieu to the terrible and mind-boggling year we’ve all just limped though, wounded and bound by the (so very many) struggles of the virus, racial injustices, political acrimony, the economy, isolation and fear. Businesses failing. For those lucky enough to still have a job, complete disruptions in how we work, rethinking every form of communication and outreach, cultures in businesses have been upended because of “work from home” orders, and the ripple effect has impacted businesses that support the employees who used to go into the office, like coffee shops, restaurants and happy hour hangouts.
The headlines are dire, the news is depressing, so many have died and the country is divided. I don’t have to tell any of you any of this. BUT, to start 2021, I think it serves us well to try to find, absorb, and incorporate some of the lessons of 2020, specifically those for which we can find some modicum of gratitude.
2020 has been a good teacher.
It has taught us:
That we are nimble and creative. The true value of family & togetherness, to not take things or loved ones for granted: hugs, connection, relationships, passing a colleague in the hall, popping into a coworkers office to catch up and the intentionality required to initiate interactions instead of relying on passing exchanges. It has taught us how nice it is to go to work with like-minded and focused individuals with whom we share a common goal, and how wonderful it is to be around PEOPLE, even those who may not be our favorites.
It has shown us that our pets love us, dolphins have returned to the waterways of Venice, people in the northern Indian state of Punjab are able to see the peaks of the Himalayas for the first time in decades. Isolation has given us an abundance of time: to rethink how we plan our days. With the absence of travel time, office dress codes, and the demands of working on someone else's timeline and schedule with office hours and in-person meetings, we are able to structure our days to plan our meetings intentionally (since it only takes 5 minutes or less to log into Zoom!), include exercise, regularly scheduled meals, relaxation and sleep. Being rested and nourished allows us to truly embrace the richness of our work and the joy we derive from it. We have the gift of time to truly, fully, and thoroughly contemplate what’s important to us, what we love to do, who we love to be around - even remotely - to prioritize our lives, our work, and our downtime in whatever order that works best for us.
Sure, we still have timelines, deadlines, and commitments but, in the words of H. Jackson Brown, Jr. “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein.” All of whom made their own time and got rather a lot done.
“I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle, I just wish he didn’t trust me so much” Mother Teresa
We’ll get through this time together. Our hope is that you all take a moment to reflect on the blessings afforded us by 2020: they may be subtle and not necessarily obvious, but they ARE there. If we are able to focus on the opportunities and the lessons, we might just find a few silver linings to apply in 2021.
Cheers to a happy, healthy and enriching New Year!
Until next time……..