My view on New Year's Resolutions
I have learnt that new year’s resolutions do not work for me…. losing weight, eating healthier, exercising regularly, saving money. In my 40’s I found creating a motto works better! It has a
butterfly effect through everything I do that year by just starting every day with it in mind.
“Twenty-One-Eight a year of Flight” - the year found freedom, growth and new heights.
“Twenty-One-Nine a year of Sunshine” - the year was a little lighter, brighter and full of smiles.
“Twenty-Twenty a year of Plenty” – I was ready, set and off to a year fully prepared for abundance, opportunities, memorable moments …… Then the pandemic struck! Plenty just got a new meaning.
We all have plenty, where we focus on that plenty is the secret. Plenty of worry, plenty of loss, plenty of loneliness, plenty of bills – yup, we have those too. But then what about the last two years of this motto thing working! I am just not ready to clip my wings, lose my grin or give up on creating happy memories. That would mean reverting to losing weight, eating healthier, exercising regularly, saving money. No choice really then
but to concentrate on the Twenty-Twenty a year of Plenty with a new angle!
Twenty-Twenty a year of Plenty
Our current environment has created a new reality when it comes to the landscape we function in: we now all live on islands. We are isolated from our community, friends, customers, Fort Worth life.
Last week one of our customers –
Liz Eljizi from Pak-A-Pocket Restaurant - came to pick up some custom stickers for the lunches she is providing to hospital staff. She told me how grateful she was for the loyalty of her customers and that she could help the frontline in this time when business is a bit slower. She said she had the best customers and that her business had grown up with her customers. I can imagine that she has seen kids visiting her restaurant with their parents over the past 30 years
literally grow up to now be adult patrons. The gentleness in her voice when she spoke about her business and customers intrigued me, so my next lunch was from Liz. No surprise that I heard the customer after me greet her by her name and strike up a conversation over 6 feet away – I started thinking about all the small businesses I know of in our community that are unique to Fort Worth that miss us……….. there must be a lot!
In the same storm, but on different islands and in different boats
This touched my heart personally and as a small business. We are in one of the greatest times of uncertainty of recent memory …and I think I can safely say it has touched everyone differently. Whether directly having experienced downsizing, layoffs, business closures, less clients willing to pay for services or products, being outsourced or indirectly perhaps witnessing a life partner, family member, suppliers or customers succumbing to the unfortunate and sometimes unavoidable effects of a tough economy. Others are working longer hours, get less sleep, hardly see family and loved ones, have more workload or a lot of things to do……
There is plenty. But what do we as a business and people in our business have positively plenty of?
We have plenty of time, so we can create new products, new online portals for ordering you can use.
We have plenty of equipment and materials, so we can print, manufacture, pack everything fast.
We have plenty of creativity, so we can create something special and motivating for you.
We have me that talks plenty to everybody (at a 6 foot distance in person, over the phone or by email), so I talk to the delivery guys that deliver to our hospitals, I talk to our USPS lady when she brings me essential mail, I talk to my friends at the USPS local plant when I drop off essential mail from our customers, I talk to our restaurants at the drive-through or curbside, I talk to our medical support staff when we deliver and get my temperature taken, I talk to our firemen through the car window from across the street, I talk to our staff in the shop and those working from home, I talk to our teachers at FWISD, I talk to my kids and their friends, I talk to the people working at the grocery store, I talk to business owners, I talk to corporate employees, I talk to everyone any chance I get. I talk to Fort Worth.
I miss the people of Fort Worth and they miss each other. Every person I talk to has a story to tell, appreciation for what they have and gratitude for those who are on the front line. Nobody once said they were glad to be living island-style, everyone misses the people of Fort Worth.
Most of all, we have plenty of Texan spirit, so this is how our community sign initiative started.
Check it out and order here
The plan is to tell your story, show your support or share encouragement from your yard. I believe we will start seeing and feeling the butterfly effect.
Butterfly effect - a scientific theory that a single occurrence, no matter how small, can change the course of the universe forever.
The though goes that something as small as the flap of a butterfly’s wings could, in theory, ripple through time and be the cause of a hurricane half a world away. One small flutter to create a domino effect that powerful.
Texans have always stood out from the crowd
Especially Fort Worth has always been a community that makes personal contact. Time to think outside the box.
With this “new normal” we find ourselves in, there are also high levels of uncertainty that makes the art of telling our story and making contact difficult.
As a provider of essential services, we believe it is our duty and responsibility to step up even more now to help our friends, community, customers and small businesses in Fort Worth.
Our desire to do a great job feels more concentrated in this pandemic – what we do and how we do it can make or break us.
I think it is now bigger than just business, it is personal.
Nothing beats the feeling of FREE
To launch this initiative, we are giving away free yard signs to the first 10 people to order. Call us or email us.
If you have a business, think about sponsoring some in your community. You can even add your logo so everyone can see you care.
If you are on the front lines, let your neighborhood know a hero lives there.
If you have a graduate trying to get through this year, give them a shout out.
If you have a favorite small business you support, show them they are in your hearts.
Let's butterfly!
Today I want to say a big, fat, AlphaGraphics Fort Worth “Thank you” to every person in Fort Worth. You will ultimately be the spirit that gets us through this. Your spirit can create a “hurricane” effect and really make a huge difference. None of us are islands. Share your sign with us on Facebook and let us keep in touch with our community - without touching of course.