beBetter 

“What do you want to do for dinner tonight, CeCe?” I don’t care is her number one response by a long shot. When I’m with team members, “Where do you want to go to lunch today?” “I don’t care.” Wow, if we only had a restaurant named I Don’t Care, it would be full of customers.

It’s 8 a.m. and I’m sitting in a very cold medical exam room. The dermatologist will be in any minute to begin my annual full-body exam. Gosh, all I can think about is how humiliating this is. It’s hard to have the discipline to do this every year. 

“We should wait until we can get more of a consensus on this,” is ringing in my ears as we discuss some strategic decisions within our partner leadership group. What is the saying — a strength taken to excess becomes a weakness?  

Growing up in Batesville, MS, I wish I had a dime for every time Mom told Mike and me no fighting in this house. We loved each other and still do, but we constantly fought as youngsters. We are 3.5 years apart and like a typical little brother — he had to do everything I did. This led to lots of conflict and since we shared a bedroom, lots of scuffles in the house. Mom was constantly breaking us up and at times she would spank us for being so disruptive (usually after several warnings). Thank goodness she did not “spare the rod” as we were two hard-headed boys. We quickly learned when we were approaching the point of no return.

Capturing the beauty and power of this storm so closely is a bucket list experience. Now, it’s certainly not something I have listed on my bucket list, yet as I experience this with CeCe with the wind rushing all around us, lightening beginning to pop in the near distance, it is an experience of awe and beauty. Scary, but beautiful, is the best way I can describe it. 

The beach is one of the places that restores my energy and creativity.  

Thanks to some great friends’ hospitality, CeCe and I have enjoyed the beautiful ocean views on 30A near Seagrove Beach, Florida, this year. I decided to work virtually and gaze out of the den to a beautiful white sandy beach and clear ocean waves.

Here comes my fifth Zoom call of the day and the fatigue is real, but I’m also glad I “get to” have a busy schedule with impactful meetings. As I get ready for my next call, I recognize the fatigue and make a mad dash to the breakroom for coffee. Throwing back the caffeine as our call gets underway, I’m coming back to life as the passion from one team member is building.

As I pull into the Quick Mart to fill up with gas for the trip home, my mind is full of joyful memories from a day of fishing on Lake Whittington. The river has receded and as the water level drops, my favorite fish, crappie, are known to turn on big time. Unfortunately, today wasn’t “the” day, but we caught some fish and it is such a blessing to be out on that beautiful lake just enjoying God’s creation.

“Ouch! Oh goodness,” I’m thinking as I slide out of bed trying not to wake CeCe. She is not too fond of early morning chit chat. My back is killing me and as I ease into the bathroom, I realize CeCe was right, again.

She warned me not to go to camp by myself yesterday. “You need someone to help you, Joey. You are not 30 anymore… or 40… or 50.” Whew, that hurt! But all I could think about was the urgency to get my new limestone spread around the cabin and driveway before it sets up into a hardened state like my head.

Entering the restroom, my eyes are immediately locked on this image and I can’t stop staring at it. This visual is cemented in my mind, and I walk out of the restroom with a new realization: we are officially in panic mode. It is showing up in different ways, but it is showing up in everything we are doing and experiencing.

A few weeks ago on a full flight from Dallas, TX, to Jackson, MS, it was so hot, I began to sweat. You’ve probably felt that stuffy, hot and uncomfortable feeling where you realize you are not going to be cool anytime soon. Yet it turned out this uncomfortable feeling was the least of my problems.

The COVID-19 pandemic has quickly altered our course and coping with a new business model focused on managing a productive remote work environment is our new reality. This is on top of the technology transformation that is already underway in our profession and for all business enterprises. We have a new norm overnight, and that means things will be hard and we are going to make mistakes. 

Have you ever taken a shot to the gut? The kind that literally takes your breath and leaves you gasping for air? I had such an experience recently, and I found myself gasping at how far we have to go as a profession when it comes to female talent.