A number of years ago another entrepreneur turned me on to the practice of “daily gratitude” - taking a few minutes every morning to acknowledge what is GOOD in your life and in your business. 

Over the last few years I’ve worked to put this into practice. While I never quite perfected the “daily” piece, I was able to develop enough awareness to recognize when I was feeling particularly frustrated or anxious, that I should take a step back and count my blessings. It’s amazing how this has helped me clear my head. Not only did it change my attitude, it also made me better able to solve the problem that was frustrating me in the first place.

Given what’s happening in the world right now, I’ve jumped right past the daily routine to practicing gratitude multiple times per day. Despite all the negativity out there, I’m still finding plenty of things to be grateful for: Myself and my family are healthy. My employees and their families are healthy. We have a great team at KeyStone. I live in a community that cares and looks out for one another.

And, at KeyStone we have an amazing Integrator!

I cannot imagine where we would be right now without our Integrator, Tony Bednar. Tony has led the charge in converting us to a virtual organization. He’s taken the lead on an SBA Loan to help us maintain our team. He’s built cash projections for the varied scenarios, assisted in labor and project planning, and so much more.

I realize these critical things would not have been done nearly as well or as timely without Tony by my side. I’m imagining that many of you Visionaries out there without a strong Integrator are really struggling right now. There’s a ton coming at us every day and like myself, detail and follow through are not key strengths. In the book Rocket Fuel, Mark Winters and Gino Wickman describe the Integrator as the “glue” that holds everything together. Never has this been more evident or more necessary than right now.

I’m confident on a macro level that this will eventually work out. We are incredibly resilient as a country, and somehow we’ll come out better and stronger for this experience. I also know entrepreneurs/Visionaries are amazing people and some great businesses will come out of this crisis.

On a micro level, many good businesses will suffer and even disappear which is truly disappointing. When it comes to KeyStone specifically, and how well we weather the storm, evolve and eventually emerge, I am much more confident given our strong Integrator.

Bottom line, I’m damn glad I got my Integrator! Or better put, I’m grateful for you, Tony.

If you’re a Visionary looking to find your Integrator puzzle piece, we can help. Click here for a free consultation.