[002] Build Back Better

Like many people, I’ve spent most of my adult life searching for balance. If each day was an empty glass I would see how much I could pour into it, until the liquid precariously crowned at the top and unfinished tasks began to slowly drip down the sides. The unintended consequence?  In my pursuit of trying to do everything, I was often making a mess of anything around the glass. 

This “Great Pause” has been a reminder that there can be a lot of room in the day if we’re intentional with our time, and by forcibly limiting our previous commitments it’s possible to be more purposeful. What we choose to do now is for us to decide. Will it be “Alive Time or Dead Time” as Robert Greene so perfectly describes it?

This can be Alive Time. To make the most of what is in front of us. To use this time to expand, explore, and express ourselves through effort. Will we sit around and wait for things to happen, or will we prioritize curiosity to learn and improve, then grow?

That applies to business as well. 

Recently Masters in Business released a podcast episode that contained a phrase that struck me due to the power of its simplicity: Build Back Better. While the term was popularized in reference to disaster risk reduction, this concept is ingrained in our human existence as we continue to react and adapt to circumstances both within and outside of our control. 

Building back better starts with observation (What happened?), leads to intentional action (This is what I will do differently in response.), and results in a change or improvement of some kind (Progress towards “better”). It’s a pretty simple concept.

Looking for a place to make a change during this new “normal”? Try Connection.

Reconnect with a friend you miss, or a family member that moved away, or a business contact that you loved working with, or someone you met in a Zoom call. Chances are they’re home just like most of us, with more than a few free moments to fill with a productive and meaningful conversation. Or, find new opportunities to connect. Amazing things can happen when you take the initiative. 

Putting yourself out there can be terrifying and exhilarating but remember, you can’t always predict the outcomes. Around the time I wrote our first blog post, I shared my concerns about the effects of COVID on Scout and our clients’ business in Trends, a Facebook group full of fellow entrepreneurs and trusted voices. That led to an interview and article published by The Hustle, a daily newsletter that goes out to 1+ million subscribers. (it’s a great resource for business and tech news in 5 minutes or less, subscribe). 

Put your energy into something and you will be rewarded in unexpected ways. I swear by this belief.

With my “extra” time, I’m continuing to connect with a group of amazing thought-leaders and makers including many of our current/past/prospective clients. I’ve made it a daily priority to contribute guidance and support, answer questions about brand identity and activation, and to be a resource of opportunity as folks turn this Dead Time into Alive Time. 

At Scout, we solve problems. So, I ask with heartfelt concern for you and these circumstances, what good can come from this current situation? What decisions are you making now for your future? Will you choose to build back better? How can I help?

– TM 

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P.S. I couldn’t find a way to fit this into the writing above but smart people like Marc Andreessen are talking about rebuilding on a larger scale, in a very inspiring way. Check it out.

Branding is a shared journey.

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