Feel free to wax nostalgic

Feel free to wax nostalgic about the old thing, but don’t fool yourself into believing it’s going to be here forever. It won’t. -Seth Godin

I have had a nostalgic and sad week as I have seen an organization I used to be associated with dismantled and sold. Of course this happens in companies all over the world every day but it really is interesting how it has affected me.  This has been (again for me) about what happens to the mission and legacy of what many people invested their lives into for many years not coming to fruition.  The legacy of what was created will live on in some way but the impact of the legacy is greatly diminished.  Some chalk this up to the economy and the specific industry problems and these are factors but not the entire story or even the majority of the problems. 

I could sit here and be sad and frustrated and continually analyze what could have happened differently (even though I have not been asked to do so or been involved with the process for many years) but that does no one any good.....especially me.  So, I need to look at it, learn from it, and continue to follow the mission I have been given and try and figure out how to do what I do better. 

Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but constantly  set about remedying them - every day begin the task anew. -Saint Francis De Sales

Here are my take aways (so far) and I think they can apply to a wide variety of businesses:

-Every single industry changes and, eventually, fades and just because you had success doing something a certain way yesterday, there’s no reason to believe you’ll succeed at it tomorrow.

-Embrace change by being open to new formats, other points of view, and be willing to adjust the organization accordingly.

-Don't overestimate the importance of what you do.  It may be important to some and it may be doing a good work but it is a piece of the puzzle....not the entire picture.

-Stay focused on the mission.

-Associate and partner with people of like mind and vision (this would apply to hiring staff as well) 

None of this guarantees a business will survive of course and each of us have our own challenges as well as outside factors we have no control over but even if we fail we must not lose hope. 

God has a plan and it is better than ours and He is for us and not against us.....so stay strong my friends in the midst of challenging times.