Small Matters?

By Pam Hadder

Have you been letting things slide? Are you weary of wrestling with others to gain an inch and lose a foot? At the end of another disappointing day, do you console yourself with cliched comfort phrases like "Don't sweat the small stuff" and "Don't worry, be happy?" Have you ever thought that all of the small stuff adds up, and maybe you really should be sweating it out a bit?

In 2008, our world markets took a headlong tumble that has turned out to be more than a superficial blip on the economic timeline. Three years later, we find that many businesses are muddling aimlessly, hampered by apathy and fear. Instead of thinking larger, they are thinking smaller - what about my job; what about my pension; how will I retire? This excessive focus on the self does not lend itself to inclusive, progressive global solutions.

Thinking of your current work situation, ask yourself some tough questions:

• What would my ideal scenario look like?


• How can I see my ideal unfolding?


• What are the barriers - what am I afraid of?

Write your thoughts down, allowing them to flow out freely without questioning and analyses. Seeing your concerns on paper can help to put them in perspective. You will also find that writing the words on paper makes the problems seem smaller and less scary - with things in proper perspective, you realize that the ability and power to create and enjoy what you envision and desire is innate. This exercise also helps to gain some perspective into what motivates you, and by so doing, you can flip the off switch back to "on!"

Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best when he quipped, " This time, like all times, is a very good one if we know what to do with it." Don't let it slide - embrace the changes, good with the bad; get on board and enjoy the ride.

One Ecosystem?

By Pam Hadder

ecosystem - n. a system formed by the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment.

When we talk about ecology and ecosystems, thoughts typically turn to our natural surroundings - that is, the plants, animals and geography of a particular region. Sometimes we forget that we too are animals, and we don't think about how we factor into the larger picture. Human business exchanges, for example, not only affect the well-being of other people all over the planet, but they ultimately also impact world ecosystems. Like an infinite series of nested eggs or Russian dolls, each human action unfolds and causes multiple reactions; which in turn spawn their own expanding reality.

Consider also that business, marketing and the resulting profit or loss; the distribution of information, and the acquisition of material goods, are in themselves ecosystems: "the interaction of a community of organisms with their physical environment." Whether physical or electronic, we cannot deny the impact of humanity's workday activity.

We do not typically think of the global effects of our actions - we simply complete our link in the chain and start forming the next link. However, if we begin to study the relationships that result from our actions, we will discover how everything we do - every action; every word - is relevant to the global experience.

Sound complicated? Well, yes, it IS terribly complicated, and that's not all - compound all of these factors with complex layers of technology, culture, personality and communication style, and the result is a six dimensional, all-encompassing cloud, simultaneously engaging all of our senses and, at some point, connecting to the natural habitats of Earth. And what happens when elements are added or removed from any established system? For every answer; for every solution, a proliferation of new questions ensues!

How then do we address such a massive, gnarly ball of co-mingled infinity? The answer is SIMPLY, HONESTLY, and with a great deal of CARE. Every moment matters, even if we do not fully appreciate just how spectacularly huge our realm of responsibility stretches.