As I am sitting here thinking about all the news I keep hearing this week and all the uncertainty that faces all of us, I wonder how many people feel like throwing in the towel. The news is overwhelming with each day the message getting more and more restricting on what we can do or where we can go. Will Fear start to become the motivation that drives us to react in this current situation? Will we all run out and flood the grocery stores for food? Will we all be able to go to work or will we be faced to stay at home while the county deals with this pandemic? It is certainly uncharted territory for all of us.
As sure as I am that we are not done with this mess, I am sure we will see the end of it. And while we work our way through this it is time for all of us to focus. Start with small things and see where they lead. Admiral William McRaven gave a speech at the University of Texas back in 2017 and one of the things he said is "If You Want to Change the World, Start Off by Making Your Bed!" He goes on to show how starting your day with accomplishing a small task will give you a sense of pride and lead you to complete multiple tasks before the end of the day. He also states that making your bed will reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. Later in his speech he also speaks about students going through Navy Seal training have to do a night swim and will be surrounded by sharks. "And if a shark begin
s to circle your position stand your ground. Do not swim away. And if the shark is hungry for a midnight snack and darts toward you, then summons up all your strength and punch him in the snout! There are a lot of sharks in the world. If you hope to complete the swim you will have to deal with them." I can't help but think that all of us are in the middle of our swim and surrounded by sharks. Right now is the time that we need to summons up all our strength and punch the shark in the snout! Start your day by focusing on small tasks such as making your bed. Navigate through all the clutter and noise and focus on what you want to accomplish. Right now we need to focus on being strong and bold while accomplishing new tasks based on new challenges!
Michael Aufmuth
Elite FI