Believing.

Posted on October 23rd, 2009 by Robbin and currently 2 commenting.

This has been a really interesting week for me. So bear with me while I reflect a bit.

I took Tuesday afternoon off and drove to Charleston to enjoy some friends, drink some beer and listen to some amazing music. On an whim, I decided I needed a little mid week fun. As I was driving down with the windows open wide, it dawned on me that for the first time in many months I didn’t feel like I was bracing myself against a storm. Instead I felt as if I was easing away from something. Backing away slowly.

On the way down there, I got the news that a potential project had been canceled due to budget reasons. While I didn’t like that news very much, I LOVED the way the company we were talking with (not a current client but a potential client) went about sharing the news with our team. It just made me more confident and certain that treating everyone who partners you with respect and honesty comes back to you in freakin’ multiples.

Wednesday night I walked downtown to a community event hosted by three companies – Rosenfeld Einstein, Elliott Davis and the Wyche Law firm. It was just amazing weather for an outdoor event. When I first set out after a long day of meetings, it was honestly the last thing I wanted to do. But I had RSVP’ed yes, so I felt I should go. I had a chance to walk across the Liberty Bridge, and the sound of rushing water from the Falls made every bone in my body completely relax. Amazing how nature works that way.

I stayed about an hour, and still not in the mood for being social, I quietly headed for the door. On the way out, I ran into someone I had met for the very first time about a year and half ago. We were attending a Verne Harnish workshop together. I admired the way he openingly loved his company and the people who worked for him. He displayed the right combination of pride, confidence and humility from having a strong team by his side. It was something I remember studying. (I’m so passionate about the work we do in the world, I often struggle with walking a fine line between pride and chest-pounding.) Anyway, my friend’s company was much larger than Brains on Fire and in a completely different industry, but we shared a lot of common passions and made a connection that day.

I won’t go into the details, but we asked “the question” – the one business owners always ask these days. “How’s it going? You guys okay?” I don’t remember who asked first. But it struck me as we both answered with extreme honesty how very real everyone is lately. This storm has certainly made us all more human in so many ways. The news of his company wasn’t the least bit great because of his industry, but he was just still so proud and well… confident. A year had made a lot of difference, but hadn’t really change anything at the same time. I could tell the decisions he made weren’t easy, but I could clearly see his values and his company’s values were still very much intact. It was a gentle reminder of what is right with this world of ours.

So, Happy Friday. Take a walk outside today or at the very least roll all the windows down and listen to really, really loud music in your car. Life is amazing and good and everything happens for a reason people.

Believe it!