MUSINGS and other writing by Mark Kolke

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WITHIN OUR GRASP
 
Monday, July 18, 2022
 
We understand foundations.

They are a base, something solid to build upon, and without one, structures will crumble.

A house, a skyscraper, a bridge – begin with a solid foundation to support what we build, and the foundation is always first.

We cannot modify foundations later because everything sits on top of them because they are foundational.

It’s fuzzier, though, when we build other things like organizations, processes, laws/regulations, treaties, and philosophies – they also need foundations, defined and defensible, or they are sure to suffer a structural failure.

So what about people like us?

What is our foundation?

We are a physical structure, but within us, can we function without a foundation – of belief, of direction, of purpose, or values?

For today, let’s make it a more straightforward question – do you have a foundation for your day this Monday. Sure, there might be plans, tasks, meetings, and works in progress that need more work, but what is the foundation for this day?

Whether our plan today is for work or play, starting new things or cleaning up and recovering from last week, sound decisions and good management, we cannot sustain if we are building upon a flawed design or half-built foundation, can they?

More importantly, I think, is looking at our beliefs, assumptions, dreams and aspirations – to question, have we laid the appropriate foundation for building the life/career/relationships we desire?

We cannot go back and re-choose our parents or place of birth, early education or our resume to date – everything in the future could be better aligned with the future we envision, but not by accident.

Our world is fast-moving, and the pace of change accelerates exponentially, we can never catch up with everything, but we can have order in the one thing we can control.

What we do, how we react, what we say and how we interact with others is within our control – when few other things are within our grasp.
 

 
     


 
 

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