Pressure Makes Diamonds

Ethic: a confusing word. What is an ethic? Why are ethics important to our lives and work? How do we break down ethics.

Instead of spouting off what Google or Webster would define an Ethic to be I’m going to share what I learned at the Creative Mornings GR talk today.
 

Jenna and Adam Weiler gave a talk on the mixture of pain and passion--looking at ethics not as black and white, but grey. Not as right vs. wrong, rather, what is good for us.
 

Considering the input into our individual lives as the output into the lives around us. Noticing a responsibility to have good input, so that we can be in healthy relationship with our people.

Jenna encouraged us: “You’re not stuck. You have a choice.” In reference to her time at Ambrose, an organization her and Adam started. She noted that it was Adam’s dream and she felt like she was supporting it in the admin role--not pursuing her passions. Ambrose is an excellent organization and so she thought “Who wouldn't want to work here?” and then realized she didn’t.

This was the birth of Tater Tats, among other projects and a new position.

We are not stuck doing one job, one passion, one path. We have a choice everyday to contribute to what we are involved with, to produce good work for the organizations in which we are entangled. We also have the choice to decipher when is the best time to walk away, to grow in a new capacity and to risk it all. As Jenna faced the daunting decision to leave the organization her and Adam built from the ground up for eight years to follow her own passion of sustainable food she felt fear creep in...she was scared, rightfully so.

“It wasn’t as scary as I thought,” Jenna stated.  

Ethics as told by the Weilers is the balance of meeting your personal needs, knowing what is good for you and in turn the people around you and making sure to feed yourself the good stuff.

Wrestle with what is good for you. Wrestle with what you’re doing. I’ll leave you with this thought Adam planted in my mind this morning: when you eat sugar, you crave more sugar. You also don’t feel the best, you have a sugar crash and you also get addicted. The same is true with your life. Want to build solid ethics? Feed yourself the nutritious stuff. Maybe layoff the Netflix binges and engage in personal development instead. Look for a better, healthy way to live and the ethics will come.

Action Steps:

Ask yourself: Is this good for me?

Your behavior

Your relationships

Your habits

Your work

Most importantly: the people you surround yourself with daily

Try taking the Enneagram and Myers Briggs tests, as I would recommend and was also reiterated at the talk. Know yourself so you know how to feed yourself. Allergic to gluten? Or, in my case, eggs...Don’t eat it. Same goes for the relationships in your life.