What It Is and Isn’t

It is not about fear for some of us. It is caution.

It is not concern about ourselves as much as our concern for others.

It isn’t about checking our inventory to hoard but to share.

It’s not about learning everything we can, because we cannot know it all or fully understand. Yet we want to be informed enough to be responsible.

It is about thinking through the ripple effects of a decision—whether it is an individual choice or a leadership choice. It’s knowing not a single choice is without costs. It’s being willing to endure some of those costs because of the potential benefits of the decision.

It’s being flexible enough to shift our routines.

It’s being patient with others who process differently than us (even the annoyances of people who seem to know it all, voice it all, and rarely consider others’ experiences and perspectives unless those others are highly valuable to them—okay, so perhaps I’m still working on this one).

It’s refusing to become cynical and negative; it’s choosing to deal with reality with hope and encouragement.

It is less about our discomfort and inconvenience and more about the impact our humility and sacrifice might have on someone else we might never know.

It is less about me and more about we.