For those of you who have followed my blog recently, it’s been a tough time here in Houston. So my “normal” enthusiasm may seem a little off because of the tragedy that is Harvey and all the things that are happening around us as we start getting past the destruction caused by this storm. But in order to heal, we must look towards the future. So today’s post is about the opportunities Harvey created, particularly in business. Keep in mind that they are not necessarily financial opportunities, but they’re still opportunities nonetheless.
Let’s get started:
1. Keeping perspective. Over the ten years I’ve been a business and life coach, I’ve had a ton of conversations with people from all walks of life. I know firsthand the challenges of growing a business and leading people. In addition, each of us faces our own personal struggles as human beings. So I believe that events like Harvey create an opportunity for us to keep things in perspective. We know that in literally a moment’s notice, our lives could be in danger. In a moment’s notice, our homes could be taken away. That should motivate us to live and approach life a little differently. No matter how bad things are normally, it’s not that We sweat over the most trivial things, and when something like Harvey happens, we realize just how petty we were acting before.
In a way, this is like having a loved one who’s battling a life-threatening illness, or traveling to really rough parts of the world and seeing people in poverty. So let’s keep things in perspective, and appreciate that the small annoyances we deal with on a daily basis are nothing to fret over. Harvey has definitely created an opportunity to show us that.
2. Getting real. Sometimes we hide and we’re superficial in terms of how we communicate with people. Let’s just get real and raw. Be frank with who we are and what we’re about. For the most part, this is a beautiful thing. Others get to see a side of us they’ve never seen before. In business, maybe it’s time to cut the reservations and get real with your team. Discuss where you’re going, where you’re headed, and stop putting off those tough meaningful conversations. After all, Harvey has proven that you could lose your chance to ever speak up again at a moment’s notice.
3. Serving. This may be obvious, but Harvey has given us the opportunity to serve. As entrepreneurs in the small business community, we have the ability to serve every day. But Harvey has extended our opportunities to do so not only as business owners, but also as average human beings. Whether it’s allowing people to stay at your house, literally saving people in a boat, or helping people clean up after the storm, you have a chance to serve that wouldn’t have been possible under normal circumstances. Taking care of our community and neighbors can create great joy in our lives. Many of us needed a reminder that we should choose to serve more often.
4. Becoming a hero. Harvey has allowed everyday heroes to rise up. I’m talking about people who have risked their lives, finances, reputation, and more to help others during the hurricane. We now have a chance to think about what a hero is like, a hero’s characteristics, and how we can apply these characteristics to our daily lives even outside of natural disasters. Is there a way we can channel that boldness, that courageousness? What would it need to look like in the day-to-day work environment of our business as we continue to rebuild after Harvey? Even if you aren’t in the affected area, how can you still be a hero?
So those are the four things that Harvey made us think about. It’s just been a pretty hectic and crazy time here in Houston, but we’re going to get through it. Thank you for reading this. I encourage you to take action on some of the opportunities I laid out in this post starting today.
