Start developing a new vision for yourself, no matter if you need to adjust it as you go, but keep your eyes on the prize
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| Javier Santos – Founder, The House of Purpose |
Nothing could have prepared me better for covid-19 than being an entrepreneur from two underserved and underrepresented population. As soon as I became aware of the privileges I had lost with the geographic dislocation to Canada, I understood that to make it here, I have to try harder, avoid threats from stereotypes, and make the most of limited access to opportunities. The skills which helped me build my business and migrate to Canada, are helping me deal with the covid-19 crisis.
I left my home country (Mexico) escaping homophobia, two decades ago. I had learned to expect the best and be ready face the worst as the number of times I have survived on plan B and C, just because plan A failed is countless. Keeping your dreams alive while being ready for a few unavoidable nightmares, is what makes anyone battle ready. And that is how the journey to establishing my brand started.
‘The House of Purpose’ was founded to help organizations develop and leverage their employee’s emotional skills to work better and be happier at work; that was the bold ambition we fell in love with. Despite the long hard journey, today our team serves clients in two countries, three languages and in the public and private sectors. The road we travelled had never been easy, and with so many twists and turns our clear vision had served as the guiding light.
I see the covid-19 crisis which is one such hurdle where we are finding ways to serve our network by adopting plan B and C. The crisis is like a slow-moving storm, were we not only need to shelter and adjust during the storm, but we will also have to adapt again to the “new normal”. Many organizations like ours have pivoted and have taken path less taken. It is a bold step but fruitful, nonetheless. However, think of this as an opportunity to use this crisis and reinvent yourself. If this seems to be daunting, take one step at a time.
I believe in a bright future, albeit not an easy one. To realize nobody really knows what is going to happen, but whatever it is, we should face it with the same optimism, energy and sense of purpose that brought me this far. Though the journey might be long, just keep walking!
by Javier Santos, MBA, ACC, SHRM-SCP
Founder, The House of Purpose