The January 20 inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris marks a moment of liminality between separation and unity.
And it’s much more than that to me.
It’s a moment to rediscover Optimism.
For me, there were way too many times last year where optimism was fleeting. When the COVID cases and economic swings overshadowed forward movement.
Now, optimism is slowly re-entering the zeitgeist.
For even my most ardent skeptics, I offer you this perspective from one of our world leaders, Dr. Jim Yong Kim.
While attending the Marshall Goldsmith 100 Coaches virtual conference last weekend, Dr. Kim addressed our Zoom room of 206 of my peers.
Dr. Kim is the former president of the World Bank and Dartmouth. He told us about his extraordinary efforts to democratize vaccines to far reaching corners of the world. He talked about his new film, Bending the Arc, on Netflix. Here’s what resonated with me:
“Optimism is not a rational analysis. It’s a moral choice to believe that things will improve.”
So what choice will YOU make this year? How will you show up for those in your virtual circles, with loved ones, in your client meetings?
I choose optimism.
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