11 Jun LOVE EACH OTHER DEEPLY
In the midst of Economic Crisis, small business owners across the United States have been faced with yet another set of powerful and painful circumstances with the death of George Floyd and the resulting protests, riots, and looting. Racism is in direct opposition to Reconciled Solutions’ vision to help high-achieving small businesses advance toward financial order while increasing profitability and sustainability. According to the Small Business Adminstration, of 28 million businesses operating at less than $25 Million in annual revenue in the USA, only about 17% are minority owned. Paired with the statistic that 83% of small businesses are surviving check-to-check, we are faced with almost 4 million small, minority owned business owners who are distraught and are anxiety-ridden as it relates to recent racism and financial security playing out in the USA. How will we, as a community of entrepreneurs and small businesses pull through and support these 4 million minority-owned small business owners to feel more secure and at peace – both from a racism perspective as well as from a financial security perspective? The question in my mind is loud and ringing in my ears, echoing doubt and insecurity, without clear direction or answers at the moment.
I wish I had more solutions than I do. One thing that has brought comfort to me as a small business owner during these most difficult days is falling back on the psychology of how our mind operates, so that I can recognize where I am in all of this pain and fear. I love and depend upon my connections inside the Profit First Mastery Community. It was through this community of accountants, bookkeepers, and coaches that one of our members shared the below chart on Situational Awareness. I share it with our readers to allow us a moment to take a breath and acknowledge where our own insecurities lie, in hopes that knowledge is power, allowing each of us to feel more at peace knowing where our own mind is situated in the current crisis.
For me personally as I write this, I am currently fitting into the box of Less Control/Externally Focused – the waiting mode. Of my three most important jobs in my life as mother, wife, and entrepreneur, I am most closely in-tune with the mothering role right now.. carefully watching and waiting as the world around me unfolds. The momma bear in me comes out first, just wanting to protect my babies from any harm that might endanger them. To do so, I find myself not letting them wander far from the safety of home in these early days of June 2020. It has brought me some peace – just knowing that this is where I am in the spectrum of awareness… I hope that my readers who are looking at this chart of situational awareness will also find some comfort in recognizing where they fall from a psychology standpoint. We each become actionable in our own ways, and my hope is that knowledge and recognition of the process will support us in finding action that is in alignment with our conscience and our soul. At the same time, recognizing that others may choose to be actionable in a different way… diversity being a common thread of inclusion and understanding.
If there is one thing that I know for certain, ALL of us share a need for safety. Whether you are an entrepreneur, a parent, a student, a protester, or a politician, we all need to feel SAFE first to be in alignment with our conscience and our soul. Whatever your personal job/s are in life, it is important to acknowledge that we share a need of safety to be the best version of ourselves. As we show up in the world today, in these days of anxiety and unrest, I believe that one way to pay it forward in a positive tone is to help someone else feel a blanket of security. What if each of us can take action with one small act of support for the 4-ish million minority-owned small businesses in the USA who are simultaneously dealing with racism and living check-to-check with financial issues? Perhaps we can help be a part of a solution to help rise out of anxiety caused by racism and financial poverty. I believe that safety, just like violence, has the ability to be contagious and that if we love each other deeply, we can rise above insecurity and fear.
1 Peter 4:8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” ~~ Love Each Other Deeply |
