There are two kinds of people in the world, those who believe there are two kinds of people and those who do not. (Generally speaking, we are not big on putting everyone into simplistic categories. We humans are complicated!)
People do vary, of course, one from another. One of these dimensions is whether we believe we exercise control over our lives, or are the product of things that happen to us. As with many things, perhaps the truth is somewhere in the middle.
Knowing how vital learning is to our work for you, especially in a changing world, it is tempting to believe I chose to be a life-long learner. But my father taught college English and Journalism when I was young; my mother went back to school to requalify as a registered nurse in the 1970’s, long after graduating from nursing school in the 1940’s and taking decades off to raise a family. My older siblings always had their noses in books when I was a child.
Perhaps I owe my background for a propensity for learning. It’s not the only edge for which I owe a debt of gratitude to my circumstances.
Great thinker Morgan Housel identifies the sources of advantage in business, including communicating more effectively than the competition, having more empathy for clients and employees than the competition, and having a longer time horizon – more patience – than the competition.
The unusual time demands and difficult logistics I faced during Cathy’s long struggle made communications a necessary centerpiece of our work. Before 2015 I didn’t know how to tweet or post on LinkedIn or publish a blog or make videos. It helped that our institutional partner, LPL Financial, had (and has) a leading edge philosophy about 21st century communications. Circumstances led us to our current capabilities.
Anyone who has engaged as a caregiver understands how empathy and patience go to new levels as a result of the experience. Again, circumstances helped shape me.
Clients, we are going to keep on making the most of it – striving to build on advantages and overcome obstacles and shape the future. It applies both to my life and our work for you. If you would like to talk about this, or anything else, please email us or call.