So, we’re used to the fact that things aren’t what they used to be. We’ve settled in with that. But as you start a day, week, month, quarter you’ve got to ask, what do I do now?
If you’re a leader in school, church, government, community groups or business then people are looking to you for guidance. But you realize that the way things keep changing that you don’t know what to do either!
There’s the health and safety question. So, you have a choice. You can guess what to do or you can follow the advice of scientific experts who can give you advice to stay protected and keep your family safe. That makes sense and takes the pressure off of you and gives you practical things to do. That deals with the safety concerns, that helps.
But what about your church, business, organization or school and what you should do beyond that?
Do you do things the way you always did?
Probably not, your facility might already be closed. Or it could be that you are open in some sense but that people are afraid to come back. Churches, stores, businesses, restaurants and movie theatres are all experiencing this.
So, it’s time to try something new.
Maybe it’s a fresh approach, something totally new.
Maybe it’s combining a previously successful approach with a new twist that could bring success in pandemic.
Maybe it’s taking a run at something you used to do and could work again.
But doing something new is taking a risk. Anything you do is a risk, even if the plan seems perfect. And that’s okay. If you didn’t risk you wouldn’t do anything. Anything you do involves risk. Whether you’ll learn in a classroom, sell a product in a store, make a living out of an artist’s studio or ski down a mountain, there is risk.
If you didn’t risk you wouldn’t do anything.
You won’t succeed if you don’t try. And getting to success involves taking risks. And with taking risks, trying, there are going to be failures. But there are also going to be successes!
Think in the language of “experiment”. I’ve always been a big proponent of this approach.
Back in my youthful days I was terrified of asking girls out on dates. Absolutely so afraid that I’d talk myself out of it before ever asking. I was so shy and afraid of rejection that I didn’t even give myself a chance. But one day it occurred to me that if I keep asking then eventually someone has got to say yes — at least I hoped so! (haha!)
So I tried an experiment. I didn’t put too much pressure on one ask. I took a chance and asked. And some said, “no”. But more said “yes” and I was able to date a few young ladies over the course of time. Wasn’t a big ladies man (ha!) by any means but was able to get to know some very nice ladies. And most importantly, I’m married to the love of my life for over 27 years now! (see it worked!)
I even became a “coach” for a couple of friends who were dying in shyness like I was. Okay don’t picture Will Smith in “HITCH”, nothing like that. But I was able to encourage a couple of guys that if you don’t try you don’t succeed and that they were good guys who should try. Both men and women are just people are looking for other good people to be in relationship with and I believed that more would say yes than no. I like to think I helped a few happy couples to their future together 😉
So, what I’m saying is:
*You’ve got to take a chance with new ideas.
*You could fail or you could succeed.
*Either way you’re moving ahead.
*And honestly, failure is a path to success.
So, in this uncertain time, try something. If ever there’s a time to try something new, it’s now!
