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!