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“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo. "So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” ― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

What in the world is going on?  I am sure you have said those words these past two weeks, I know I have.  Two weeks ago, my family and I were on Spring Break in Florida when all this hit.  We cut our trip short and came back early.

Today, in the midst of the chaos and unpredictability we’re all experiencing, a friend shared an idea with me that impacted me deeply. He said that now is a great time to challenge our families, especially our children, to begin journaling. Why, you ask? Because 25 years from now we will look back on these times and realize that history was being written and defined during the day-to-day lives we led and the choices we made during this time. Much like other historical times have shown us, we’ll be marked and changed by these events.

I recently did a webinar on the topic of email: how we use it, and how to use it better. 

Happy 2020!
As we go into a new year and on the heels of the Cause and Purpose blog post, many of you reached out to me and asked a provocative question: who was a key influencer in shaping how I think?  Was there someone in my life who paid forward the wisdom of living with purpose, having a mission statement, defining my values, defining roles, and creating a vision statement? 

As we finish unpacking the 7^th Fundamental: Cause and Purpose, I’d like to place a focus on the importance of a Vision Statement.

One of Shakespeare’s most infamous lines is, “All the world’s a stage.”  Many may read his flair for drama here, but I believe he was describing the reality that, whether we know it or not, life is about playing roles. As such, life truly is our stage.

What We All Want

We all want Americans with advanced illness to receive comprehensive, high-quality, person-and family-centered care that is consistent with their goals and values and honors their dignity. But this can’t be achieved without advances on many fronts – empowering consumers, changing the health delivery system, as well as improving public and private policies, and enhancing provider capacity.

As I shared in my last blog, I have come to believe there is a 7^th Fundamental that should be part of everyone’s organization system: cause and purpose. Without cause and purpose, the other elements of an organizational system are essentially null. Cause and purpose provide the basis by which the other fundamentals can be built. I shared in the post that there are several components that are helpful to think about when defining your cause and purpose: specifically, having a personal Mission Statement.

Stop the presses: there is a 7^th Fundamental!

Thanks to the feedback several of you have given me on the last blog titled “The Interview”, which had a focus on cause and purpose, I realized something – there is a 7^th Fundamental to every great organization system, and that fundamental is cause and purpose.