By John Corron, CFP®, Wealth Advisor –
So far, 2022 has given us many reasons to test the assumptions that underpin our everyday lives.
For example, where does our food come from, and why is it so much more expensive than it was last year? The same goes for the price of gas in our cars and the cost of air travel and vehicles. There are negative headlines about Ukraine, COVID, soaring home prices (and the inability for many people to buy one), political partisanship, the rise in global influence of China and fear that our way of life is slipping away.
What does all of this mean, and how will it impact you? How are we feeling being reminded of these things day after day?
Focus on What You Can Control
It is human nature to focus on the worst that might happen from all of these factors, but in reality, none of us directly control the outcomes of any of these situations. What we do control is our role and contributions to humanity and our communities. We can choose to turn our attention to impactful things we can do to better the world around us. How can you spend some time and energy to flip the script on the negative news of which we are constantly reminded?
Why not:
- Bring your co-workers coffee?
- Write a note of gratitude to someone you care about?
- Beautify a public garden for your community to enjoy?
- Donate to a food pantry?
- Give blood?
However small the contribution is, you will feel good about giving, serving and connecting. If enough of us get intentional about giving beyond our immediate families, I believe we can reduce the negative impact of today’s headlines and the uncertainty of what these forces mean for us and our lives.
Accumulating goodness takes building some momentum the same way that fear and concern does. If we all give a little, we can compound our collective impact of goodness and change the narrative of today’s negativity. And while inflation is concerning and we may have to make some tradeoffs in the way we live, we’re humans and we’ve been adjusting and helping each other for generations. Let’s get back to it.
As a start, I just registered to give blood and I’m sending out three letters and gifts of appreciation by the end of this week to people who have positively impacted my life. What can you commit to doing in the next couple of weeks to better your communities and bring some goodness into 2022?