I’d Like to Use a Lifeline

Back in the day, the show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was a favorite of mine. I remember the first million dollar winner, who used his phone-a-friend to call his dad — not for help, but to tell him we was going to win a million dollars.

This morning wasn’t a good morning in the space between my ears. An intense day at work was ahead, we’re still in a pandemic facing more isolation, and of course the news. In short, I wasn’t feeling particularly safe, in fact, feeling really vulnerable. I was feeling like the stuff I have been writing about recently was a bunch of garbage. Bottom line – not a pretty sight.

As I descended to my basement, I summoned up a thought about presence. I resolved to just to be present in the event of the day ahead. Present in the training I needed to deliver. Present in the afternoon workshop full of unknowns. Just be present and listen. It was the only thing I had the will to control today.

So what happened? Just that focus on presence today made my room better. Positive outcomes on both major events. I was being a light to myself. Today that was what my best self was all about. It took some energy, but I powered through.

Even after the work day ended, there was still a lot of negative energy in my world. It’s primarily due to outside forces; just turn on the news. Here’s where I miss my father, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. On days like these, I would call him and he always had a way of sharing his “eternal optimism”. He was the one person in my world who would say:

“It’s going to be alright.”

— Dad

Today, I need to lean on Principle 11 to help me. It’s a call for a lifeline to our like-hearted community to help me fill the role my Dad played. I am looking to borrow some optimism from this community.

Agile Best Self Principle #12: At regular intervals, reflect on how to become your best self, then tune and adjust.

Here’s my request: it would help me immensely if you would leave me a comment below. All I want to hear is that it’s going to be alright. I know it’s true, but I need to hear it. I am grateful for our like-hearted community today.

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