A New Direction: Can You Feel the Tide Turning?
Today marks exactly one year since we all acknowledged that the world we inhabit had changed.
Today also marks, as I see it, the beginning of a new phase that feels a lot like a recovery, a shift in the tide and a look ahead to a new era for all of us. This new beginning will not be evenly distributed, it will not come fast, it will not be without setbacks, and it will most likely result in a new mindset, new norms, new behaviors, and new approaches to how we work, meet, gather, travel, dine, and how we all adjust to the rest of the activities that have been altered.
But... today does feel like the beginning of the beginning.
Signs of increased vaccine distribution, economic indicators revealing shifts in interest rates, stock prices, unemployment rates, and spending patterns are trending towards a belief that we’re heading into better times. Turbulent, yes, uncertain, yes, but still heading in a better direction.
It’s true that we don’t always see things as THEY are; we see them as WE are. Our world view is shaped by the lens of our own life experiences, the news we consume, the people we know, our own network of friends, and our genetic predisposition towards optimism or pessimism.
My lens says we’re heading towards much better times. And these better times should be met with the planning required to be ready for whatever comes our way – a “yes, and...” mindset. Yes, I’m vaccinated, AND I’m taking precautions not to take my health and the health of those close to me for granted. Yes, I’m planning for a recovery, AND I’m saving and investing more for the next downturn. Yes, I see people coming back together in-person, AND I’m strengthening my position on digital assets to be sure I’m prepared for what’s next. Yes, I have been productive working from home, AND I know that having an office to separate my home from my work life is healthy.
And, yes, we are more divided, fragmented, and socially distanced now more than any other point in my lifetime. AND, yes, we all want what’s best for our families, our communities, and our country. Now, as the tide begins to turn, we can define how to blend our self-interests back into a national tapestry that advances our society, our economy, our civic discourse, and our vision for what our lives will look like on the other side of this past year of loss, distress, and division, and begin the deep reflection on how we will come back together more united.
We have agency. We can express more compassion, more grace, and more understanding today... see how it feels to try on a new pair of metaphorical glasses, and see how your world looks through this new lens of a new beginning.
We tried it the other way; what do we have to lose?
Don Neal
Founder & CEO
360 Live Media
703-915-8421