A Different Message – March 13, 2020

Here we sit watching our news feeds, incoming emails and the news channels as events and gatherings are canceled left and right. The NBA, SEC, PGA, churches, colleges, businesses, you name it – they are all deciding not to gather people around their activities due to a virus that I won’t name. I don’t need to. Everyone else is talking about it excessively. Some people think it’s crazy that everyone is losing their minds and others think the actions are warranted. Both sides are willing to argue their opinions feverishly.

On another note, Russia and Saudi Arabia are neck-deep in an oil war, and financial markets are experiencing extreme volatility here in the US. The impact on the hospitality industry will be brutal, and the trickle down effects to retail and other markets will be significant as well. These are definitely uncertain times we are living in. 

A colleague of mine recently sent me a short document published by Dan Sullivan of Strategic Coach named, “The Scary Times Manual: Transforming current anxieties and fear into strategic growth, progress, and achievement.” I encourage you to click on the link at the bottom of this article to download and read it. I was so excited and appreciative of my friend sharing it with me because it is a bright light in the current darkness we are experiencing. 

We have so much to be thankful for: instant information to keep us informed, loved ones that are still here to care about us, prosperity greater than any country in the history of the world, a healthcare system that (despite all we can complain about) offers us advanced medical care, and finally – the opportunity to slow down. 

Many don’t know this, but I play the guitar and love every minute of the time I get to spend making music. A little over two years ago, a freak accident caused me to lose the tip of my left, middle finger. I thought I would never play again. After surgery and a few months of recovery, I found myself adjusting to my new reality, and today, I play better than I did before that accident. 

During that time I was reminded of the words of the 23rd Psalm. Even if you are not a person of faith, you have likely heard these words.

The words, “He makes me lie down in green pastures” stuck out to me like no other time I had read or heard that scripture reference before. Sometimes we are made to lie down in green pastures. Notice the word “makes” and ponder it. We may not want to slow down, but sometimes we need to slow down and focus on what is positive in these times. 

Even though I didn’t want to lose the tip of my finger, there was peace in the down time being surrounded by the ones I love. Even though we may not like what we are seeing around us, maybe we need to look for something different. Maybe we need to see the positive instead of the negative. I promise you it will make a difference in the upcoming days and months.

The Next Level Solutions team is grateful that we work remotely as part of our normal business model, and so we are blessed to have minimal impact on our operations. We are here with a positive outlook and stand ready to support our current and future clients in any way that we can. Let’s get through this together!

Chris King, Managing Partner

P.S. It’s a great time to buy in the financial markets!

*Invest at your own risk*

“The only people who get hurt on roller coasters are those that get off in the middle of the ride!” – Dave Ramsey

Click here to download The Scary Times Success Manual