When business gets harder… We don’t need more strategy

We need something deeper to hold onto

Last night, I made a little mistake.

Before bed I started reading the news.

And before I knew it, I was deep in it.

Wars. Conflict. Unrest. The quiet (and not so quiet) fear that everything we know as “human” is shifting beneath our feet.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, I couldn’t sleep.

It felt like one of those moments where the noise of the world gets loud enough that you can’t avoid the deeper questions anymore. The ones we usually stay too busy to ask.

So I lay there, awake, staring into the dark, and I asked myself something that honestly shook me a bit:

"What would I be willing to die for?"

Not in a dramatic way. Not in a heroic movie scene. But really…

"What matters so much in my life that it’s bigger than me?"

Of course, my family. The people I love. That part came easily.

But then… silence.

A long pause.

And I realized something I didn’t really want to admit:

There’s something missing.

Not on the surface. Not in the day-to-day. But deeper.

Something I know is there. Something I feel is important. And yet… I’ve been avoiding it.

Purpose.

Not the kind we talk about in business decks or tidy mission statements. But the real kind.

The kind that asks something of you. The kind that changes how you live. The kind that pulls you into something bigger than your own comfort.

And if I’m honest… I don’t fully have my answer yet.

But today, I’m sitting with the question.

"What am I truly committed to?

What are the causes, the battles, the things worth giving myself to?"

I don’t think this is a question we’re meant to answer quickly.

I think it’s one we’re meant to live into.

So that’s where I am today.

In the question.

And maybe that’s enough for now.

And as I sit with all of this, there’s a quote that keeps coming back to me. It's one I’ve loved for many years:

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

That’s what we will explore in our next live online webinar conversation:

Finding and Living Your Purpose

Together with my partner Tim Farish, we’ll talk about purpose, resilience, and what it means to stay connected to a cause that is greater than yourself in a world that can feel increasingly unpredictable.

I’d love for you to join us.

- Warm regards,   Rick  §:-)