Get Inspired!

The Amare Wave Wednesday newsletter grew out of Moshe’s new book The Amare Wave: Uplifting Business by Putting Love to Work (“Amare” means love in Latin). Filled with provocative ideas, powerful stories, and practical action steps, Amare Wave Wednesday is designed to inspire you to do something every Wednesday that uplifts and connects you and others. That’s improving business by putting love to work. Let’s grow the Amare Wave!

What You’ll NOT Find in This Issue: For the last few weeks, we’ve all been inundated with breaking news and warnings about the coronavirus – some very important. This issue is NOT more of that. May what is here inspire you to take positive steps out of fear and into love.

Finding Good in a Crisis? Or a FOG?

The Chinese symbol for “crisis” is made up of two characters. One means danger. The other means opportunity.

The opportunity part is often overlooked. A crisis cuts through our defenses and denials and invites us to tune into what really matters, and be conscious and purposeful in our choices. Every moment of a crisis is a chance to let go of an old habit or way of thinking that is no longer healthy, and to adopt something new in its place.

Yet, in a crisis, it’s not easy to focus on the opportunity. A family friend calls this a FOG, or Fucking Opportunity for Growth. Yet even in a FOG, we still do the work – grudgingly perhaps – by noticing and responding positively to the opportunity presented. And at our best, we can do so with grace and even gratitude.

Key “crisis questions” for you to ponder:

• What in your life is this current crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing to your attention?
• What changes in thinking or habits are you making or considering, that you want to last well beyond this crisis?
• What opportunities for growth do you see?

Connect with me via email or on our website to share what came up for you while doing this exercise.

Friar Richard Hendrick’s poem “Lockdown” (an excerpt*)

All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting
All over the world people are looking at their neighbours in a new way
All over the world people are waking up to a new reality
To how big we really are.
To how little control we really have.
To what really matters.

To Love.

• Richard Hendrick is a Capuchin Franciscan Brother. His poem, excerpted here, very quickly went “viral” – a positive example of exponential growth!

Stories of Love at Work

As we navigate through these unprecedented times, examples of generosity and kindness are all around us.

• Restaurants are offering to feed children in their community for free for as long as they can.
• Online education companies are offering free subscriptions to help families.
• Manufacturers are converting factories to make things urgently needed for public health – like hand sanitizer and medical products.

All around the world, people and companies are responding to fear with love. Here are 50 more inspiring examples, from Forbes.

50 Ways Companies Are Giving Back During The Coronavirus Pandemic

10 Ways To Put Love to Work Today – A Focus on Gratitude

1. Say thank you right now, 100 times in a row.
2. Tell your colleagues you appreciate them for being them.
3. Send customers a note that simply says “Thank you for letting us serve you” – or if you dare, “We love you.”
4. Reach out to everyone in your supply chain to let them know you’re stronger together, or even “We love you.”
5. Start every meeting with a brief moment of silence just to breathe, connect and be together.
6. Ask your team to list three ways your company makes the world a little better.
7. Invite your people to take ten seconds to feel grateful for the good your organization does.
8. Let your people know you have moments of fear too, and how finding gratitude helps overcome it. Give an example.
9. Before you make any big decision, feel gratitude for what is good.
10. 10. Love yourself. In this moment, right now, just love you.

Check out this gratitude journey book by very funny author A.J. Jacobs, Thanks A Thousand. And join this new Find Your Gratitude Community brought to you by my friends Kevin Monroe and Chester Elton.

Amare Wave Wednesday Quote

(one of my all-time faves and absolutely ALWAYS true!)

“And this too shall pass.”

While we still need to get through the losses, changes, and challenges of this pandemic, sometimes it can give us much needed strength to step back for a moment of respite when we remember this fundamental truth.

Thanks everyone for tuning in to Amare Wave Wednesday! Do YOUR one amare thing today to improve your business and grow the wave!

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