Blog #296
Yesterday, I was a grumpy SOB. I don’t like to admit it, but I was in a funk. I had just met with a client going through some extreme financial challenges, there was horrible news of terror attacks in Afghanistan, COVID Delta is heating up, mask mandates, vaccination conflicts, $5 trillion in new spending, runaway inflation, a friend had just told me he was getting divorced, huge wildfires in the west and it was hot…like Africa hot. We were experiencing a heat index well over 100 degrees.
Yep, I was in a funk.
I decided to go for a walk to shake it off. During my stroll, I chatted with a long-term friend and vendor, who had some more good news: Because of certain new governmental regulations, I was going to have to spend a few thousand dollars just to be in compliance. GREAT. This news, combined with the intense heat during my walk, was not calming me down. I was not finding my happy Zen space. Nope, I seemed to be getting more wound up. I have known this friend for over 30 years, so I was able to tell him how I felt by using some very direct and colorful language. He responded in kind, as is required by the “guy code.” And it was what I needed. I thanked him for the help and headed back to the office.
As I walked, I thought about how I was absorbing pieces of this negative energy and that of others. In many ways, I think this negative funk was building on itself. Combine this with the ongoing barrage of negativity in the news, COVID fatigue, and stress, I think that as a society, we are in a pretty ugly funk. However, we can be the masters of our own domain and learn to shake it off. The first step is awareness that the funk is there. The second is to shut off the negative media and social media sources, and focus on the positive instead. The final step is to take time to remember all the good in the world – and there is a lot of wonderful in our world.
A couple hours later, I received an email from that same buddy, stating, “Kluv, here is an article I read a few months back that I think you should read.” I thought negatively at first, “Great, here is an article about that compliance crap that will get my blood boiling again.” I clicked on the link and it went to one of my old blog posts. At first, I was a bit confused (Huh? He actually reads my stuff?). I went on to reread the piece.
It was all about being positive and getting out of a funk…blah, blah, blah. While reading it, I thought, “Well, screw you. Maybe I want to be in the funk!” Yes, I said that in my head about my own article. I continued reading and concluded that I did and still believe in what I wrote – we do live in some of the most exciting and abundant times ever.
However, on this day, I had lost sight of that. I had allowed myself to get sucked into the vortex of negativity. Having my buddy care enough to send me my own article was not fair (that was below the belt, by the way), which led to me to respond with some extremely colorful language. I also included a heartfelt ‘Thank You’. It was the reminder I needed to shake off the funk.
So, beware of the funk. Beware of others in the funk and be supportive where and when you can. It is during times like these when it is important for all of us to be there for each other – even if it is through colorful language expressed through the old school “guy code.” (Thanks, Craig.)
Yes, there is a lot going on in world, but there is also a lot of good in the world.
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Keep Smiling,
Kris
