At the center of your being you have the answer; you know who you are and you know what you want. -Lao Tzu
It’s been fun during the last few months working with folks at Stratton Mountain developing initiatives centered around health and wellness. This past week, we settled on a logo and concept of what we’re all about, what we want to be. The concept is centered on the word, “Be.” Be fit. Be well. Be here. Be who you want to be. Be _______. (Fill in the blank.)
I try to keep a daily practice that helps me stay in touch with me, the real me, and who I am. At the center of my being, I do indeed know who I am. The challenge is staying in touch with who I am when I work in a world that judges me based on what I do. Sound familiar? I believe it’s a struggle that we all face, a struggle we are all meant to endure, and a struggle that gives us further insight about ourselves (as we let go of judgment).
When a co-worker approaches me and says with sense of urgency, “We need to do this,” or “You need to do that,” my skin curls. I need water, I need nutrients from Earth and the energy from the Sun, I don’t need to do what someone else says I need to do. What I understand immediately is that they desire something and that they view it with a certain sense of urgency. But, it is up to me to choose whether it is something that I desire to do, and whether it is important to me (and who I am) that I do it. Knowing who I am and who I want to be, I have the power to choose what I do.
At the heart of the matter is a simple cultural challenge: If we each act in accordance with who we are really as individuals, it will require acceptance of each other’s unique individuality if we are going to act together effectively… and within the bounds of accepted behavior in our business environment and our free society. This is where common vision (personal, business, village, society) becomes the beacon of light that guides us.
Today, I read Eoin Finn’s Facebook post shared at the top of this article. Then, I picked up an angel card that reminded me, “as you make changes in your life and as you encounter challenges, you are safe and secure…. stay true to yourself during trying times… with courage… without fear…”
So, as I approach my new work and as we as a company strive to promote health and wellness and a branding centered around a concept of “Be,” I believe our success will be a direct function of whether we can “walk the walk” as a business community, accept one another’s unique skills and strengths, and let one another thrive as we each strive to be who we each are and who we each want to be. Our collective success will be a result of how we do what we do and how we support (and serve) those around us as we pursue our “Be” vision.
Human beings… human doings. When what we do is a direct manifestation of who we are and who we want to be, we are naturally happy, healthy and well.
Be me. Be you. And that’s okay…
As long as we can find common ground in who we are, which I personally believe will be founded on feelings of goodness, kindness, personal responsibility, mutual understanding and respect (and of course at Stratton, in a common desire to be happy in our active mountain sports community), what we do together will be okay too!
