Our nature is to be social. Whether you’re an introvert and gain your energy through internal thoughts or whether you are an extrovert and gain your energy through outside sources, we all need people. We all need friends. We need to have the interaction that stimulates thoughts. When we are isolated, we stew in our own thoughts and it limits our growth.
I started my consulting business in 2005. Initially it was a sales training business, but it has evolved into a full-on process to support business beyond training and sales. I challenged myself every year to stay relevant. In doing so we created additional ways to help companies and individuals. The focus has turned to self-awareness. Thus, the tagline “Intuitive to Intentional™” was born. Are we aware of what we do intuitively? Are we aware of how it affects our friends, our coworkers, and our customers?
There is a lot of talk about how life, and business, will change based on the pandemic and the resulting distancing we have all had to endure. What we haven’t focused on is the danger of isolation. I feel the danger is losing perspective, because we live in our own thoughts and fears, instead of connecting with those around us. A video conference is terrific for keeping in touch, but does it meet the same needs as an in-person interaction? Video conferencing may be the trend for the next months or maybe even years, and there are benefits to it, but it can’t replace personal interaction.
We still have several weeks of isolation in front of us. We are all working to understand the effects of what is happening externally and how it will affect us. Now is a good time to focus internally as well. What are we truly feeling now? What is the root cause of those feelings, and how can we control what we are doing that is part of the cause? For me it was fear of the unknown. Would my business survive? Would I remain relevant in a new type of business environment?
The answer I landed on is YES! My business partner and I are working on modifying a process to support businesses with leaner teams in an environment of social distancing. It feels good to be working on something that can help. It’s powerful to know you can control your own destiny by working to understand and intentionally working to build a platform that allows others to be successful.