Several years ago I received the following quote in an email communication attributed to John Barnes, of Barnes Oil & Gas, LLC:
“The great bulk of planning for the future,
to the extent we do it at all,
is putting patches on the present,
as opposed to creating a future from the raw material
of possibility, which has a lot more power.”
John Barnes (Jbarnes@barnesoilandgas.com)
Wow! I immediately emailed Mr. Barnes (who I did not know) to ask his permission to share this quote with other leaders. He graciously consented.
As I read and reread the quote, I thought:
- “Planning by putting patches on the present. What a picture!
- But if we don’t live in possibility, what other option is there?
- What can you do to consider possibilities when you decide what you want, instead of resorting to patching up what you don’t like about now?”
For me, sharing thoughts, ideas, and opportunities is what ‘living in possibility’ is truly all about. It’s about learning from others and seeing the possibilities, regardless of the situation – otherwise, we can only put patches on the present.
I have been blessed with an amazing, if somewhat eclectic family. My siblings and I grew up differently because of wide age differences. I actually grew up with my nieces and nephews like most of my contemporaries grew up with their cousins. As adults we never all lived close to each other, and those who are left are currently scattered across the continent. Being part of the younger contingent within the sibling ranks, I only got to know my older siblings as an adult. And from each of them I learned about ‘living in possibility’.
Fifteen years ago my sister Ramona died from heart failure (ironically after beating breast cancer and being in remission from lung cancer). Yet, she enjoyed life more fully than anyone I have ever known and she ‘lived in possibility’ until the end, planning for the next event, continuing to socialize with her friends, and even going dancing.
A couple years later my oldest sister, Ellouise, was diagnosed with cancer, had a tracheotomy, and chose quality versus quantity of life, i.e. no chemo. Her spirit remained good and she was busy putting everything ‘in order’, visiting with family and friends, becoming – in her words – “spoiled” by the massages provided by hospice, ‘living in the possibility’ of NOW. How courageous and forward thinking.
Six years ago, the love of my life, my husband, my best friend, Warren, died after a brief but valiant fight with cancer. After both chemo and radiation, the radiation oncologist said that while the various tumors in his body had not grown, they had not shrunk! She said she was still his doctor and would continue radiation if that is what he chose. His pain was extreme, and radiation had been particularly hard on him. He looked at me and said, “I’m done!” I nodded with a small, (what I hoped was an) encouraging smile and he turned back to the doctor and said, “How long?” My heart almost stopped, as the doctor replied, “Three weeks.” For the next three weeks our house was filled with people who came from various parts of the world to say goodbye. Others called, messaged, and I will always be grateful that he had the gift/possibility of time to say “goodbye” to family and friends. The entire time he focused on being part of the 1% to defy the odds, and he ‘lived in possibility’ every day for the next 15 days, when after a very restless night he kissed me goodbye and went to ‘live in heavenly possibilities’.
Since then I’ve lost my sister-in-law, and two years ago my younger brother who followed his beloved wife. They both ‘lived in the possibility’ because of their deep faith, their love of family, and their unflagging ability to do more for others than they ever did for themselves.
Now we all live in the age of COVID-19. Some of us have been directly affected with health issues, losing family members or friends, adjusting to being isolated, practicing physical distancing, wearing facemasks, working virtually from home, homeschooling our children both on and off line, not traveling, wondering when will it all be “normal” again. I don’t think anyone knows when or even if things will ever be “normal”, but I do know that through communication, collaboration, and influencing others in a positive way, we all have whatever NOW is to ‘live in possibility’.
What are you doing to ‘live in possibility’? How are you looking at your plans, needs, wants differently? As a leader, how are you leading differently . . . than you were pre-COVID? ‘Living in possibility’ is a mindset, a head space that allows each of us see things from different perspectives, to keep an open mind, to be more creative and innovative, to achieve more amazing results than we might typically imagine. What are you thinking? How are you planning? What are you sharing with others? What are the possibilities of your NOW?
