I have something really near and dear to my heart that comes from the core of who I am and what I’m trying to create. It was expressed perfectly in a line in the book, Superfans, by author, Pat Flynn. The quote that changed my life is, ”The universe has this amazing way of giving back to those who serve first.”

How interesting is that? Those who give, are more likely to receive. And not only give, but serve. To volunteer and provide for without expecting anything in return. It’s taking action for the sake of coming from a place knowing that you can add value, and that an investment in human kind and your community is the right thing to do.

However, as this quote articulates, what happens is that investment and value offered and service returns to you in unexpected and multiplied ways. By raising the tide for someone else, you end up raising the tide for yourself. What this quote also addresses is this happens as a response, giving back to those who serve first. There’s an order to it.

By coming from a position of service, you share an authenticity that encourages others to reciprocate and support you! This is the universe, the powers that be, and the natural laws that we are susceptible to. 

This also tags along with another idea I am really passionate about. This concept of how humility involves a willingness to give and receive. My TedX talk is about the receiving side of it, surrendering to the universe and the path it has laid out for you. This quote is the giving side and adding to the ecosystem. What this does is it facilitates the flow of value for everything that involves you, amplifying your capabilities through shared resources and energy.

The thesis is give first, and give often. “The universe has this amazing way of giving back to those who serve first.”

You know the old expression “laughter is the best medicine” right? What if I told you that new science has come out, and it shows that dance is actually the best medicine. Dance is the most effective way we have of releasing dopamine, Oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins in the body, but unfortunately many of us don’t use it. That’s where Radha Agrawal comes in, the founder of the daytime dance experience called Daybreaker who is our next SISD guest. She’s a part of cutting-edge research on the topic, how dance can literally save lives.

Personally I love dancing, but I never knew the physiological benefits of dance. I am trying to make a point of incorporating dance every morning, just one song, to get the day started off right and with a positive neurotransmitter boost.

I wanted to share a song that has been standing out to me over the past few days. It’s called "Naïve", by Andy Grammer, who’s an artist that stands for positivity, love and compassion. While the word, "Naïve" has a negative connotation, from a certain perspective it’s required.

"So call me naive
But I believe you're gonna be okay
And call me naive
But tomorrow, we'll be better than today

And if it's stupid to see the good in everything
Lord, help me please, help me to be naive
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na, mmm

See, I believe
This life is something beautiful and sweet
I believe
That love pulls me to you like gravity

And if it's stupid to see the good in everything
I guess I'll plead, I'll plead guilty to being naive
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na, mmm

And you could say I'm gullible
And I'm blind to all the lies and tragedies
I just think we focus all our time
On poison and not the remedy

So call me naive
Say I'm living in a world of make-believe
And call me naive
But I don't know another way to be

And if it's stupid to see the good in everything
Yeah, if it's stupid to see the good in everything
I'll say proudly I'd rather be naive
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na
Na-na-na, na-na, mmm"

It’s such a beautiful song. But, let’s think of the context because it is extremely important today. Being naïve is different than being responsible. Of course, we always need to take the necessary precautions, we shouldn't be naïve to that truth. But, as people talk about worst case scenarios we don’t need to agree. Yes, these times are providing many people with significant hardship, but it’s our choice to determine if that’s entirely a bad thing. Many people will come out of this stronger, and the world will come out of this stronger. We can choose to see that positive possibility, instead of focusing on our seemingly negative reality.

With the doomsday talk and the “everyone fend for yourself mentality” I wanted to share something important. Everything will be okay. It will, everything will be okay.

While our concerns have shifted recently because of current events, I also want to speak to the you 3 months ago before all of this started, and the future you 3 years from now. Life will continue to present challenges and unexpected circumstances, and you will be okay. You always will be okay.

What I try to do during uncertain times is surrender to the process. I try to have faith that everything is happening for a reason. I also try to find confidence in myself that I will be able to make the most of every situation I am presented. The only thing you can control 100% is your effort, and putting your energy in things you can’t control will only perpetuate the problem. 

This is all coming from a guy whose biggest fear is responding to severe adversity. That’s what preparation and perspective are for, and that’s what I’d encourage you to reflect on right now. You have been developing skills for a long time. What you have to offer is an asset to others. And you are stronger than you know. You have overcome everything you’ve experienced so far, which should give you hope that you can also overcome everything that you’ll experience in the future.

Everything will be okay. Be responsible, trust yourself, and whenever there’s a storm, ride it out.

During the COVID-19 era quarantine, many of us throughout the country and world were instructed to shelter in place, limit interpersonal contact, and avoid public spaces. While this was totally necessary to protect ourselves and the health care system, it came at the expense of our own productivity.

What was interesting is how we were home more often, had more free time, and came up with all of these ideas of things we wanted to do. Yet we didn’t find ourselves doing those things. Why is that?

It’s because we were thrown out of our normal routine. What we didn't realize was that our routine had been optimized for our previous setting, relying on the triggers and timing that existed in our normal environment. Well all of that was different, and then we were wondering what we could do about it.

We basically needed to establish new habits, and there’s one thing that always helps me: Make the decision in advance!

Be clear about how you want to spend your time and affirm it. I think writing something down is really powerful because you can see the activity in front of you, making it a more tangible idea than an abstract concept. 

The next step after that, and knowing that your days are a little different, is to allocate time specifically to do that thing in your schedule. It sounds super simple, but most people don’t actually do it. It’s for those transition moments, when previously you had established context that would encourage you to take proper action, where a schedule will inform your decision-making and help you to stay on track until eventually this new routine becomes second nature.

We are all leaders. Now I understand that’s a big term, but it’s true. Leadership doesn’t take any one form, everyone displays their leadership in their own way, but what is universally consistent is that our actions influence the actions of others. Within that influence, we need to take responsibility for our actions so that we perpetuate behavior that contributes to the well-being of this world, not tearing it apart.

What are some other universal consistencies? I want to share two.

The first is empathy. As a leader you must understand where someone is coming from to guide them to the right course of action. In the book, Belong, by Radha Agrawal, she acknowledges that there are 3 different pieces to each person in a conversation. How am I in life? How am I right now? And How am I with you? This is an empathy practice that will help you communicate more effectively with other people.

The second element to leadership is humility. David Meltzer describes humility in two ways. This first is as an ability to give without expectation. This means doing the things that are required of you given the task, and leading by example when necessary. The second is to ask for help. Leaders aren’t perfect, and they don’t have the answer to everything. By stepping into that truth you prepare yourself better for the things that are required of you. This will also prep you to establish a culture of teamwork and strength in numbers.

I wanted to remind you to give yourself credit, and introduce you to something magical that we all have. We each have an intuition that has been built up over years and years of experiences. It’s something that has been processing subconsciously our entire lives. While we can’t point at it and access it directly, it actively stores past information that helps us in our decision making and perception. I think we generally have a tough time believing in things that we can’t see or objectively measure, which makes sense, but I want to take a step back and explore the big picture.

After coming upon this realization last week, I wanted to put it to the test. In the hallway at my office, I picked a random point about 30 meters away and told myself I would close my eyes and walk forward until I thought I had reached that point. After walking and upon opening my eyes, I was stunned to find that I was within a foot of the point I had selected.

How is this possible? I think it speaks to the power of the mind. I have had so many past experiences that even though my eyes were closed, my body was still informed about how far to walk, using other cues and references that I seldom rely on. The same goes for alarm clocks. Have you ever woken up a minute before it’s set to go off?

So I’d elaborate and argue, if this phenomenon is working on a psychological level, why can’t it work on other levels? I am a firm believer that our skill-set builds on itself over time, that our ability to learn accelerates with time and experience. You know more than you think you do in your trade, managing a difficult conversation, and making big life decisions, because your intuition can shine through and guide you in the right direction.

This quote by the 13th century Persian Poet Rumi. “You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the ocean in a drop”.

That’s deep. Not just deep in the ocean, but deep in thought.

Often, when I think about the world and the infinity of the sky, the unknown of the ocean, and the abyss of space, I question existentially what my purpose is and what meaning my life serves. My default reaction is to see myself as just one speck in the big picture, but this quote totally flips that thought on its head. We’re not one speck that makes up the larger picture, we are the entire picture in one speck.

“You are not a drop in the ocean, you are the ocean in a drop”.

This means that the entire possibility of the world resides inside of you, and you are capable of creating from that space. Not only is the world abundant, but each one of us individually is abundant. It’s a powerful realization because in it we know that we are capable of what we desire and destined for self-actualization.

Now when it comes to this infinite potential, we need to be focused and recognize what is authentically us. What is our truth, what are our natural strengths, and how can we go about expressing those in a meaningful way. This is actually the first step in the Greatness Accelerator Program. Gaining clarity on our values and vision so that we have a solid framework to create from!