 photo credit: WhiteHouse.gov Over the last year, I authored a series of challenges called “I Dare You.” The “I Dare You” series is a set of increasingly challenging, but easily attainable, Dares to prod my fellow neighbors (like You) to understand how You, she, he, and I can become more engaged in creating The Ideal Life that each of us can potentially live. Dare #25 was titled “Clean Your Glasses - Congratulate.” In that final Dare #25, I stated, “There are emotional, spiritual, professional, familial, local, international, natural and, yes… supernatural attachments that link you with me, us with them, and everybody, everywhere on some level of inter-connectedness. Our links can cause seemingly unrelated and remote actions in one part of our world to affect the lives of people in an area geographically distant... but supernaturally close. We are never that far apart.” The evolving events of this past month have made those words retrospectively prophetic. We are now in a real-life manifestation of The Twilight Zone, far beyond what many of us thought possible (aside, perhaps, from a horror movie or a mass-casualty drill for those of us who work in the affected industries). Nonetheless, through it all, I remain an optimistic realist. Accordingly, Lord willing, I shall continue to blog; it calms my anxiety. And I sincerely hope my words can help others in a manner that reflects the very real connectedness I referenced in Dare #25 on December 5th, 2019. Today, I shall begin the optimistically realistic path of “40 Days and 2 Little Words.” Beginning with today’s straightforward instruction “GET CLEAR,” over the next 40 days, I will share a potentially mind-altering foundation from which we can launch an expanding base of freedom from stress and strife… and perhaps alleviate some of the anxiety associated with our current life-threatening challenge. With daily reports indicating the total number of worldwide infections, along with the associated number of deaths, the next few weeks could pose not only a physical and economical challenge to our previous way of living… but it could also exact an emotional and spiritual toll on how we feel about ourselves, each other, and life in general. Today, and over the next 40 days, I am initiating a quick 5-minute post – beginning with 2 Little Words - to assist with offering a small-but-potentially significant reprieve from the daily blitz of news. Why? Well, we have found ourselves in a bit of a dilemma. We want (and sometimes need) the latest news. Yet, too much of this steady stream of numbers, negativity, news, and naysaying can have a devastating effect on our emotional well-being. I will begin today by referencing the obvious – this obscure, but very real virus. But, after today, I will seek to refrain from mentioning the latest facts, figures, and “failings” related to the current pandemic. Today, I will recommend the first of these 2 Little Words: ~ GET CLEAR~ Let’s GET CLEAR on one thing: ALL IS NOT LOST. Indeed, for those of us old enough to remember, the events of September 11th, 2001, are forever etched in our minds. And yet, here we are with something seemingly far more insidious. In reality, as more data becomes available, the “fog of war” on this pandemic will be lifted, and the path forward will begin to become clearer. For us (you, he, she, and me), today we must be absolutely clear: we have HOPE. And, as long as we have HOPE, we have unlimited wealth. Here’s the Good, the Bad, and the Great… THE GOOD: Despite the unprecedented disruption of our lives, we have much for which we can be grateful. Social media, cell-phone technology, Government services, and community-based volunteers and organizations are providing much-needed information and support. THE BAD: The very nature of a novel (new) and evolving viral pandemic implies a high degree of uncertainty. Initial data sets seem to indicate that our family and community elders are the demographic most affected by this pandemic. Notwithstanding their lower rates of affectedness, younger members of the worldwide community must be better at giving serious consideration to how their social behavior can potentially infect and affect grandparents, pregnant women, and younger people with underlying health conditions. THE GREAT: As information continues to evolve, we are beginning to see a pattern of solutions that, if nothing else, serve to slow the infection rate. Social-distancing seems to be the “order of the day,” as well as a general reminder that we need to be especially vigilant in our everyday hygiene habits. We still have HOPE! And as long as we have HOPE, we have the beginnings of something even greater than what we have now. Your mission for Day 1 of the 40-day Challenge is to GET CLEAR by… PAYING ATTENTION TO YOUR SELF for the first 20 minutes of the morning… every morning. We need YOU to be here for you and everyone else. Accordingly, let’s start by taking care of YOU first. It is overwhelmingly important that you partake in a 20-minute morning launch time. In fact, tonight, before going to bed, set your alarm for 30 minutes earlier. Do something entirely different: move your alarm clock to another part of the room (or, if you use your cell phone as an alarm, set your cell phone somewhere else). The point is this: Your 2 Little Words, 40-day challenge starts now. Setting yourself up for a successful tomorrow starts with setting up a successful morning. When you proactively self-invest the first 20 minutes of your day, you are getting clear on exactly who runs YOUR show. You are saying to yourself, everyone, and everything else… I set the tone for this day. I set the map. I start the drive. More importantly, when you continuously, consistently, and persistently start your day with your own 20-minute launch time, you create a solid foundation upon which can build several more successes throughout the day. If you can do the following 5 things during the first 20 minutes of the morning, you will not only set yourself up for success, you will also create a reservoir of much-needed mental, emotional, and spiritual strength to fuel your efforts of everyday life. And only you know how much true effort is required of you. So... here is a roadmap of your first 20 minutes of the day, beginning tomorrow. GET CLEAR... 1. WAKE UP AND MOVE! Seriously… yawn, splash water on your face, and then move! Do something as simple as a few jumping jacks, push-ups, or, if you have the stamina and time, a quick walk or run-in-place. Then… find a quiet place, sit down, and take 20 long, slow, deep breaths. Breathe in through your nose and then breathe out through your mouth. Try to do these 20-30 times. 2. BE THANKFUL. Focus on thoughts of thanks. Need help in this area? Try these:
3. BE PATIENT. Allow yourself to fully enjoy this small portion of time at the beginning of the day. If you have arisen a tad bit earlier than usual, you have no reason to hurry through the next 5, 10, or 15 minutes. Focus on breathing slowly and deeply as you allow the essence of gratitude to enter your world. In the overall scheme of things, you are WHERE you need to be, WHEN you need to be there. Perhaps equally important, be patient with others, too. More on this later... 4. BE ENCOURAGED. Remind yourself that every journey starts with the space that’s under you right now. This 40-day course on 2 Little Words is a wonderful journey that you have already started. Regardless of what you may have done before this day, you are already one step forward in the right direction. And, if we do this right on day 1, we will all have awakened to deep breaths, thoughts of thanks, patience, and encouragement. And a day that starts off with these golden nuggets will soon have us soaring beyond the dark clouds of negativity, news, and naysaying. 5. BE AN ENCOURAGEMENT FOR OTHERS. Some people say, “misery loves company.” But did you know that it is a scientific fact that acts of kindness not only make the giver and receiver of the good acts feel better, but those same acts of kindness also make others who witness and/or hear about the acts feel better, too? Accordingly, let’s make it our mission to share a good news story or two with each other. This is a time when we NEED to “make” each other feel good… or at least feel better. **WE** can do it! By the way, tomorrow's 2 Little Words post will be much shorter. Until then… Accept reality for what it is. Adapt to a changing landscape. Achieve the best possible outcome. Aloha, John ~ Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®  John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist. Principal consultant at The PIE Group, and Executive Director of TeenBuilding USA, [a non-profit 501c(3)], John believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need. And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me). Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}. An innovative business manager and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work! An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life, a teen-focused guide, Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens, and the Christian-based book, God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life. He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and “authorize” people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets. His trademarked phrase is a winner  |
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