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“Faith consists in believing
when it is beyond the power of reason to believe.” ~Voltaire
Do you Know What you Will do With a Square Inch?
WOW! Have you ever been in a one-to-one, profoundly invigorating business meeting, where time just flew on by mercilessly, and all you wanted to do was stop the clock and capture every second if at all possible? Such was the case for both John Richardson and me during Father’s Day Weekend, and with his blessing, only select highlights are now written...
Here I am, sitting across this business professional on our first meet only to find myself completely intoxicated with his gift of wisdom, for he was communicating from planet EXTRA-ordinary! I was humbled, honored, and in awe to say the least, that he was seeking my advice on a complex, delicate communications issue. In truth, we both skipped through all the typical business questions one can think of, or come up with under the sun that takes place during a first meet, let alone the 10th meet … and mutually zoomed right into the heart of the matter, with intellectual attack!
Fast forwarding ... Once the consulting portion of our conversation was fulfilled, generally in that given instance, both parties tend to dash off to their next respective meetings to follow through with their plans and commitments for the day in a timely manner. Dear friend that was definitely not the case here! In fact, quite the opposite happened! We respectfully asked for a mutual pause in our conversation, only to pick up our phones, and rearrange our schedules without hesitation in unexplainable synchronicity. Of course, neither of us knew the other was going to take that action. Amazing how Faith works in business and in life when we choose to practice it, free of logical reasoning (refer to steps 1, 2, and 3 below).
After That 5 Second, Reflective Pause ...
Moving along… Various topics surfaced as our communications took more profound turns followed by purposeful detours. One of the highlights that I will remember for a lifetime was this one question John asked:
"Annie... as our seconds go by fast, do you know what you will do with a square inch?"
Holy smokes!!! Closed my eyes for a 5 second, reflective pause...
Opened my eyes and answered …
"John … hoping not to disappoint … if there is a specific answer to your question, then I truly do not know, and more than willing to learn, believing you will be willing to teach me. If the answer is more of a Spiritual nature… then Spiritually in pure Faith, I pray for guidance to make wise (more so than right) choices for the seconds of today, and thank God in Faith for preparing my actions toward His Plans “already” in motion, to wisely and responsibly take on His assigned square inches for tomorrow. If I may give you a more direct answer, it comes down to this: The fact that I am blessed in the now with this rare opportunity to learn from you and in that process, if I may dare gain a nugget from your bank of wisdom to equip myself for the future, then in this moment John Richardson,... That's what I'm doing with a square inch."
Our 5 Minute, Positively Paralyzing Mutual Silence ...
Immediately following my response, was our mutual, 5 minute, positively paralyzing silence. The wheels of our thoughts were turning, as though we were both playing a mental chess game, yet not so.
Let’s hit the PAUSE button here for a moment… What just happened? Was this your expected, professional one-to-one business meeting?
Speaking both personally and professionally: In all the years I have had the privilege to communicate and work with top leaders across the spectrum of professional industries, if I may respectfully and gracefully respond by saying ... HECK NO! Although we were in a restaurant, conversing with one another very much in the present, It genuinely felt like we were communicating from a future era, sharing innovative visions, thoughts, concepts, ideas as mere appetizers to what has yet to be experienced, taught, and learned in the business world today!
To say this was an enLIGHTNING jolt of an event we had the fortune to experience, is an understatement! It was one of those RARE, once in a lifetime, unprecedented meetings, serving as a foreshadowing of what is to come, yet a seed planted in the now to provoke two choices: FAITH and ACTION!
Allow me to backtrack here for a moment and briefly expand upon the values of Faith and Action in this manner. In order for the seed to take root for a purpose to be fulfilled in the future, THAT choice is up to you and me. To activate that choice, it will take pure FAITH with ACTION:
1. Faith to embrace the unknown (what you cannot see)
2. Faith to believe that what is to come is ALREADY there!
3. Faith to act on that choice, without resorting to logical reasoning.
Now... let’s hit the PLAY button. After our 5 minute, positively paralyzing, mutual silence…John chuckles and says: “Annie Armen … now I know why my friend said these words to me. John, brace yourself, you met your match. Prepare to be blown away by a human hurricane after having just one chat. Make it count! You want this lady in your corner for the impossible projects you have in mind down the road.”
Just the rose color blush I needed on my face after hearing those words, when in truth... it was I who was blown away! Later, toward the end of our conversation, John said something that I just had to write down and pay it forward, in essence ... to plant this seed in your minds and hearts. Let me tell you… it’s one that will have me thinking "on purpose" for a long time:
"There are more square inches in one square mile, than there are seconds in a century. You can see your whole life if you equate one square inch to one second." ~John Richardson
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Dear friend, do you know what you will do with a square inch? Thank you in advance for taking the time to read and share your thoughts to this very profound enigma …
List of Articles and Quotes you may Find of Interest:
1. 20 Quotes on Communication in Business and in Life!
2. 14 Quotes on Loyalty in Business and in Life!
2. 14 Quotes on Loyalty in Business and in Life!
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