The Sunday Note (TSN) from MGM (Montgomery, AL) ... if you got this from a friend, you could sign up here: www.sendfox.com/jw 

V.3 N.39 TSN from MGM "Moving Marbles"

Days 1,022 - 1,028

Hi

19 Jan 19 to 19 Dec 21 … that time span marks the first 35 months of the 36-month invitation to serve the communities I now call family. 

From applying (three times) for a job in Montgomery, AL while living in Ojai, CA (up in the mountains, 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean), through on-site and telephone interviews (they weren't using Zoom then!), a LOT of emails, a few resounding "what-do-you-want-what-do-you-really-really" want meditations and several journal entries…I found myself standing in front of the American flag, saying the Oath as a Civilian Airman. Today, I humbly come to you to share one piece of news, two invitations, and three things that I've learned about what it's gonna take not just to survive but THRIVE if I'm gonna be me…

One ANNOUNCEMENT

When I moved to Alabama, I put 36 marbles in a glass to represent those 36 months they gave me to change my world. (Note: I don't ever say "the" or "your"; it's always "my…" that's as much as I can hope for.)

Since then, on the 19th of each month, starting with February 2019, I take one from that jar and study it. I look at, into, and through it. Yeah, there's a reflection there. I have watched as weeks turn into months turn into years. 

Today, I'll move a marble AND write the Sunday Note. (This is the sixth time this has happened: May 2019; January, April, and July 2020; September and December 2021.)

Soooooo…the news you and I have been waiting for:

"I need 60 new marbles."

Yup, I just signed my reappointment letter; they offered me five years this time 'round. So, here's to me continuing to change my world!

(Hey, if you send me a marble, I'll sub out one of mine with yours so that I can share the goodness with ya!)

Two INVITATIONS

1. Drum Circle: a group of us who gather asynchronously to share where we are, what we need, and how we're makin' progress. If you're on Marco Polo and wanna join, send me a message. If you're on the fence, send me a polo and I'll share the "invite" video. If you join us, I will send out an "intro" email to everyone, so let me know!

2. Reflection and Recognition: Next year, I turn 50. Starting in January, I'm going to add something to my own Weekly Reflection practice. I "may" move the Sunday Note to less than weekly, and bump up my recognition to more often. If you're up for the journey, let me know. Am probably gonna host a few Zooms about it!

Three LEARNINGS

Learning A)

Say this more:

"I'm not able to do that, but if you need someone to be/do/provide ______, I'm the one."

• 1906-2000, I said yes to about anything Nordhoff High School asked. 
• 2000-2006, yes to everything the David Allen Company asked. 
• 2007-2018, yes to what Jodi and I thought would grow the company. 

To be honest when I first got to Alabama I was about to repeat old patterns. I was on the "yes…of course I'll do that" trajectory until…

… I wrote that quote in my journal and practiced saying out loud. 

Here it is again:

"I'm not able to do that, but if you need someone to be/do/provide ______, I'm the one."

And it works!

I've realized that people will ask me for what they THINK they need, and what they TRUST I could do. But, those things don't always map to why I'm on the planet. 

And, it's becoming more apparent: I'm here to "be."

• Around you.
• With you. 
• For you.

Of course, people ask, "But what are you gonna 'do' while you're here?"

I smile, and say, "Love."

It's fun…it gets people to scrunch their forehead; it makes them think. And, at that moment I've got them thinking two things with me:

First: We are leading humans being. 

Second: Those humans? They are starving for connection while at the same time they fear connecting. 

So, while I can't do the majority of what people ask of me, if you need someone who can create experiences where people see one another, connect with one another, build trust among one another, and leave better - more living - versions of themselves, call me. (Oh, by the way, I'm finding research showing that THOSE kinds of places are safer, more productive, less stressful, and mission-focused…FYSA.)

Learning B)

Look in the mirror and feel _________. 

Ok, now as soon as I keep writing, I'll be walkin' on thin ice/a slippery slope/toward "another zone." What I want to say is "fortunate." Over the past two years, I've been reading more and more about civil rights, racial tension, and opportunities found...or never seen. 

What we see the other person experiencing is the tippy-top of the iceberg of their life. When I'm at a stoplight and look over to see another driver on the phone. When I'm in line, and I watch someone. When I teach and look out at a crowd. When I write and think about who will read. I only see what's present.

How lucky, fortunate, blessed (whatever the word is that you use) are we to be right here, right now. The question that I ask the guy in the mirror is:

"What are you going to do with it?"

Learning C)

Think WAYYYYYYYYY bigger. No matter what, that "new" thing you're going to bring (to your spouse/partner, your boss, your team, your customer, etc.) is going to push on them - and may even scare them. Why not "add a zero?" to what you're going to present? Why not listen to the inner voice that's saying, "This could be better/different/more," and go BACK to the whiteboard one more time. 

There are a few things you could think bigger about. That's one of the things I'm going to push on all my friends as we get into 2022. I have some predictions about the beginning of the year, and I'm thinking that a few of us might have some things that we're going to get to do. 

Are you ready for this?

Best from 'Bama,

JW

PS: I'll be at the Atlanta Airport tomorrow from 0930-1030; and, I'll be in Marin from 20 Dec-1 Jan... see you along the way!?

How did The Note* from MGM (Montgomery, AL) begin?

After being here for just less than a week, I opened up my email to send a note to my family in friends in California and beyond. Jodi was on her way to join me here, so I took some time to reflect on this significant life decision/change I had initiated. That Tuesday, January 22nd, 2019, I sent an email at 9:38 pm (or, as I was beginning to learn: 2138). Here's how it started:

Today was my first day as an employee of the United States Air Force. And, I am bold enough to say I've never been prouder or more excited to serve a community.

Though I "moved" to Alabama last Wednesday [Jodi plans to be here Monday], I went to my New Employee Orientation just today. The 90-minute briefing culminated in me taking the Oath:

"I, Jason Womack, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well; and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

All at the same time, I felt pride, Honor, and a hefty dose of responsibility. I'm helping leaders on a grand scale.

*The following Sunday, and many subsequent Sundays!, I've sent a note to my family and friends. Thanks for reading, and gratitude (more!) for clicking reply and letting me know what YOU'RE reflecting on!