TREE OF LIFE

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Ancient wisdom tells us that Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life. We are 59 days from 2021 and this year has made many of us feel heartsick. We have hoped for health and prosperity yet many of our neighbors and fellow citizens have experienced the opposite.

We are on the precipice of a new chapter in our history. This chapter will be new for you personally and for our nation historically. As I write this, I feel hope bubbling up once again. The hope that I have is not based on change but rather on the fact that the things that matter have remained.

The past 9 months have helped us realize the need for personal connection in the midst of the “I” revolution. iPhone, iPad, I this and I that. The hope that has ultimately been differed is the one that yearns for deep human connection. Zoom rooms have been a real gift during this time but they fall far short of the family rooms our souls most deeply require.

The most difficult part of differed hope is anticipating if it will be met. The moment when heart sickness is met with hope and fulfillment is usually when we let go.  Letting go takes intentionality. When we let go, we often find ourselves sitting under a tree of life with our family and friends.

Stay Rooted,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

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TO DO LIST

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Did you ever notice that your to-do list is all about you? When is the last time you made a to-list that involved other people? It sounds strange but the discipline of writing down a list of ways you are going to bless somebody is quite refreshing. Even more exhilarating is to cross off the list as your week goes by. Here are a few ideas:

-Buy a cup of coffee for the person in line behind you

-Compliment a stranger

-Write down what you are grateful for

-Hold the door for somebody

-Leave a big tip

-Call someone you have been meaning to

-Say thank you

-Listen with all of your might

-Don’t have an agenda when meeting with somebody

-Turn your phone off when you are with people

-Give blood

-Drop off clothes at Goodwill

-Bring a friend dinner

-Have grace for those closest to you

-Be slow to anger while driving

-Count your blessings

-Smile

-Call your Mom

-Be nice

-Offer to pick up groceries for a neighbor

As you Chief Encouragement Officer, I want to offer you a bit of respite from yourself. Thinking about others is one thing, doing things for others is quite another. Let’s go out this week with a mission to make somebody else’s life better!

It’s not about you,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

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PTGO

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Post Traumatic Growth Opportunity. This phrase came to my mind when listening to a recent Simon Sinek podcast discussing how people respond to challenges. We face trauma in various ways throughout our days and weeks. When these dramatic events occur, we get to decide whether these events will serve us or damage us down the road. Quite astonishing when we say it like that. Situation arises, goes sideways, we choose which bucket to place it in- future building or future baggage.

I began my journey towards optimism 12 years ago. The catalyst was desperation. When you are starting a business, any negative thoughts have to be immediately wrapped up and thrown out the window. Why? Because negative thoughts lead to negative actions and negative actions lead to negative results. Plus, being positive costs the same as being negative. So why not flip the script and say this is going to be great.

With a PTGO mindset, almost anything life throws at you feels like an opportunity to learn. We need to recategorize difficult times from failure to data collection. I have been collecting data my whole life and that data is now protecting me from potholes down the road. The smartest PTGO mind setters hang around with folks that have already blown out a few tires and are eager to share their data points with you.

As your Chief Encouragement Officer, I would like to challenge the readers this week to do something nice for a stranger. This simple act of benevolence will set your week off on the right trajectory. One thing is for sure when we think less about ourselves and more about others, life seems to add up.

Pick your bucket wisely,

Matt Davenport

C.E.O.

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