Connection and community are powerful lifelines for us right now.

While we may not be able to see our team members or friends in person, we are still able to converse with them over FaceTime or a phone call. Aside from the important check-ins and household updates, sometimes it may feel like our conversations are going stale, out of no fault of our own. This odd, prolonged situation occasionally leaves us stumped for conversation topics. On my Zoom meetings with business owners and my team, I have come across three main questions that help us PROGRESS through the uncertainty, hard days, and chaos, questions that focus on deep matters of our hearts rather than the immediate situation surrounding us. I’d like to share those three questions with you too, dear friend.

1. What do we leave behind, and what do we take with us?

How do we want to be different when this is behind us? In the stillness, the boredom, the frustration, we have become (sometimes uncomfortably) aware of what is serving us on our journey and what is not. This is a season of pruning, of discerning, of letting go and letting in. The stress, turmoil, and exhaustion this season has brought with it has made us intimately aware of how we handle stress and uncertainty. The coronavirus has illuminated our habits, priorities, and coping skills, and thank goodness for that! By becoming aware of how we handle all sorts of emotions, both positive and negative, we are able to progress through them.

Likewise, this season has left us yearning for face to face human connection. We now recognize screen fatigue and are much more aware of how much time we are spending on our devices. May we take that with us! Let’s take with us that yearning for human connection and an awareness of how much time we spend online. When it is safe, let us walk into our favorite coffee shop and say, “Hello,” to our favorite barista with a newfound gratitude and appreciation. Let us ask to meet up with each other or call one another rather than simply commenting on each other’s posts on social media. Let us cherish seeing our team members each day as we walk into the office.

Friends, what do you want to leave behind in this season, and what do you want to take with you as you move forward?

2. What are you grateful for in your business?

Think about what inspired you about your business when you first thought of the idea or came up with a business plan. What is it about your business that brings you joy and makes you excited to wake up each morning? Maybe it’s your team or the opportunity to help others through the service or product you provide.

At iEvolve Consulting and Timber Industries, I am SO grateful for my team and getting to live out my purpose. I am able to help business owners have their AHA moments, and there is truly nothing more fulfilling than seeing these business owners grow. I am grateful for my team’s support and the ways they challenge me each day.

What aspects of your business bring your joy, fulfillment or gratitude?

3. What was your superhero quality through all of this that has gotten you through it?

Each of us have unique strengths that are helping us get through this. For some it may be your compassion, your patience, you work ethic, or your resourcefulness. Whatever your superhero quality, CELEBRATE that and let it guide you on the hard days! With stressful or uncomfortable situations, there is a tendency to focus on our perceived weaknesses rather than our experienced strengths. If you are having trouble recognizing your superhero quality, ask those around you. Often our loved ones are more acquainted with our strengths and unique talents than we are!

If you are a parent, having a family dinner where each person points out their own superhero quality AND another family member’s could be a good bonding activity. Let us use our strengths to guide and propel us through these difficult times!

Community is vital because it is safe place to grow, listen, and change. If you are searching for conversation topics that usher in community, I hope these questions are a solid place to start. Friend, you are doing a great job, and we will make it through this together. You are unique, gifted, and talented in so many ways!

ABOUT ANNETTE WALTER

Much like Marcus Lemonis, host of CNBC’s “The Profit,” who lends his expertise to struggling businesses, Annette analyzes businesses, supports them with the right resources, and designs the plan they need in order to go from surviving to thriving.

Annette Walter has started, acquired, owned and operated more than 15 companies in her lifetime. As a wife, mother of two young boys, and owner of a national company, Timber Industries, that was included on last year’s Inc. 5000 list, she is able to serve her true purpose and passion in coaching and consulting entrepreneurs through her business coaching company, iEvolve Consulting. Annette works with business owners across the globe in various industries to support their overall well-being, teams, and operations. As an operations expert and strategist, she works with business owners to help them identify organizational gaps and opportunities in their companies. She works with businesses to help make their finances, marketing efforts, technology solutions, and sales more efficient and effective.

If you would like to know more about iEvolve Consulting, visit: http://www.ievolveconsulting.com, or send an email to YouRock@iEvolveConsulting.com.

Purpose. Process. Propel.

Contact: YouRock@iEvolveConsulting.com