PERSPECTIVE
Sunday Nov. 25, 2018
The day of.
The morning of.
The wait is over.
Have you had that happen?
When waiting is done, time for that day – ‘something important happening’, all effort and planning converging to ‘the event’, the pivotal point, the crucial meeting. If unprepared, this can be unnerving (remember big exams you didn’t study properly for?). If over-prepared, over-planned, over-organized – a strange mindset of re-thinking, over-thinking and driving yourself a little nuts.
But this a moment worth pausing over.
A lot has gone into this moment. Time to relax, reflect and appreciate all that has gone into getting here. Nobody else knows what you’ve done – how much you’ve done, how hard it has been and how many brain cells have been contributed …
This is it. The big moment. The big day.
Tomorrow will be different of course – it will be a time for rest, recovery and re-hashing. That’s normal. To examine how things went, to make note of lessons learned, to enjoy satisfaction of completion of that task. If the result was successful, easy to be self-congratulatory, proud and perhaps a tad smug. If the result was disappointing, easy to be too harsh, too critical of people and process.
The day after tomorrow is time to say, “what’s next?”
Putting on an event, or winning the big deal – process of planning and execution is likely similar (process) though the circumstances (execution) might be wildly different.
Self-reflection is a form of self-discovery. Nice to get feedback, support and critique from others, but most important is feedback from the person who knows you best, the person who knows exactly what went right and what went wrong and what was forgotten (oops!). That person is me, or you, what we re-examine what we’ve done.
Not so much about the what and the how – but the why of it.
Why not?
Reader feedback:
CHANGE IS INEVITABLE
Good article. I just read a piece in the Financial Times about the Swedes moving at light-speed away from cash in all its transaction. 4000 people have elected to have their hands inserted with microchips so all they have to do is wave their hands over sensors to make a purchase. Some large retailers like Ikeas are experimenting with cashless stores because 15% of cash handlers time is spent counting, sorting and managing the cash – better they spend that time on the floor with customers. Many of their customers eat at Ikea’s instore restaurant and in one they are experimenting with no cash and tried to assess how giving the food away for free might encourage more electronic rather cash purchases. Few banks in Sweden will take cash deposits. It is the Gen’Z’s that have adapted so quickly to it, the Millennials have been slower but the those over 75 – many of whom do not has an iPad, Smart Phone or computer, are resisting and finding the change unsettling. So is the Central Government. RT, Vancouver, BC
BEFORE OR AFTER
Another great musing Mark. Unfortunately it would require those in authority, including politicians, to think outside the box. I would advise not to hold your breath waiting. LH, Lethbridge, AB
MY MESSAGE TO THE WORLD
YES, AV, Yarker, ON
