
My friend Ruben Navarrette referred me to an inspiring hashtag on Twitter, #WhenThisIsAllOver. People from all over are posting things they think or hope will happen when this pandemic is behind us. Some are funny, like “#WhenThisIsAllOver we will all have bidets”, and some are more heartfelt such as “#WhenThisIsAllOver I will visit my parents more”, but the ones I like the most express appreciation for our healthcare workers. It inspired me to post my own tribute to healthcare workers on Facebook and asked my friends to post pictures of family members who are healthcare workers. I got dozens of comments and photos sent to me, and they all touched me deeply. If you have a family member who is in the trenches right now treating patients and protecting us all from this horrible pandemic, please send me a note about them with a photo. I’m not sure what I am going to do yet, but I want to do something nice to recognize them. They are the heroes of the moment and I hope we never forget what they did for us during this crisis.
Almost everyone, including Democrats, were expecting last Tuesday’s midterm election results to heavily favor Republicans. Many predicted a “red wave” where they would pick up 50-60 seats in the House and 3-4 in the Senate. Joe Rogan said the red wave that is coming will be like the elevator doors opening in the horror film The Shining.
Selling during a downturn required a more strategic approach, but the opportunities for growth and expansion are available to the savviest of companies. Here are some of the best ideas I’ve read about.
A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors said “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!”. The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.” A few days later the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out “Your horse has returned and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” and the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
I’ve written about this in other iterations. I’ve talked about finding your rhythm, and the importance of letting things come to you, not forcing things, and then riding the momentum when you have the wind at your back. The point of it all is that success is not linear. Progress doesn’t follow a straight line. For most people, the journey is long and winding. It looks more like a stairway or a hockey stick.