The countdown to go-live comes with daily bulletins. Emotions are on edge. Nobody is sure what is going to happen. With the intent of making sure we are as ready as we can be, there are daily calls to review the preparations. At the end of call, bulletins are distributed reflecting the key status points for anyone interested.
I wish each were filled with good news. Sadly, getting ready is rarely about celebrating what is going right. It is always focused on what is wrong or could be improved. Our bulletins follow this pattern.
Each bulletin highlights living problems and risk. While everyone knows that the words only partially capture the details, it is hard to stop the self from reacting. I am not alone with this. Emotions are flying high! Each point creates its own noise, echoing well beyond the immediate. There is little balance or measure. My description is that we are verbally grinding our teeth while letting our emotions run wild!
I am not suggesting that we should not be worried. There are serious issues and challenges on the table. I am suggesting behaving like characters in an old story is not helpful. Metaphorically, “the minute he walked in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem were all over him, hurling the most extreme accusations, none of which they could prove.” (Acts 25.7) They may or may not have had a case; their reaction did not help highlight it. From my perspective, whatever their intent, it was lost in the noise.
Yesterday I was asked for my candid opinion. How ready are we?
“We are as ready as we can be. We are doing all that we can with the information at hand. We are flexibly preparing for things to vary from our imaginations.”
Life does not come with a script. Very little in our lives is certain. Our emotions can steal our freedom. We can choose to keep our freedom. We can accept the present and be an agent of hope. The opportunity is within. Opportunities find life in our choice(s).
