Don’t Walk Too Far Away from the Child Within You

When you’re a kid, basic stuff can bring great joy. A cardboard box could be transformed into a castle or spaceship. As a kid I had a trampoline; well, it was a big inner tube from a truck, with a piece of leather strapped around it. Nothing like ones today, but it was everything I needed. I could put on my superman suit and launch into the sky or lift it over my head pretending it was a boulder. The simplest things meant so much. As you get older, some of that can get lost and when days are filled working instead of playing, it can be hard to stay in touch with the child inside, but not impossible.

I think work can be fun. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Days can be long, goals can seem unattainable and people can be challenging. Despite that, I believe we can find happiness along the way if we try. Sure, there’s a potential downside in fostering a business culture with that in mind. There’s a risk you won’t be taken seriously, or the atmosphere may get too relaxed and people will lose sight of why we’re here. It’s all about balance. There is a time and place for formal and informal, for playfulness and professionalism. Freedom is a business that provides an important service to our members and the community, but the Freedom experience is about what we bring to it, our personality and letting a little of that youthful exuberance shine through with each interaction.

“Don’t walk too far away from the child within you, and never abandon the sense of wonder that magnifies the smallest of things into mountains of joy. For one day, when you lose sight of happiness, that child within can guide you back to the things that once nourished your heart.” ~ Dodinsky

Do No Harm

“Primum non nocere” is a Latin phrase that means “first, to do no harm.” It’s a phrase associated with the medical profession; an oath taken by doctors. What if we all took that oath and lived our lives dedicated to not hurting others; essentially eliminating all forms of violence, aggression and abuse. That’s probably a utopia we’ll never see, but we should certainly work towards this ideal and, until that day comes, try and make sure the ones who don’t want to harm outnumber those that do.

There’s another equivalent phrase found in the Hippocratic school: “…either help or do not harm….”. I think this speaks to what we do at Freedom; helping and/or preventing things from getting worse. At Freedom, our priority is certainly to serve the needs of our members, but we can also help improve their financial condition by providing education, reducing expenses, creating budgets, helping build savings, and so on. There is more to Freedom than just cashing a check or approving a loan. We can help members avoid problems or prevent a worsening financial scenario. In this regard, Freedom is not only a financial institution, but a financial health provider.

Stop by for a checkup.

We Must Agree

It’s been a while since I did a Freedom Philosophy and two days after yet another tragic school massacre any words of motivation about the credit union, our services or building relationships, seem unimportant and pale in comparison to the overwhelming need to focus on much larger issues. Sadder still, as I sat down to compose this, I came across a philosophy I started to write, but did not send, back in November 2017. It started like this:

I’m tired of it. I can’t take it anymore. I’m fed up with hearing about people running over people with cars; shooting inside and outside schools, churches, nightclubs or concerts; homemade bombs on subway trains; the constant killing and blatant disregard for life perpetrated by and on, every age, race, religion, sex; everyone and anyone that walks the earth without discrimination. How did we get here?

I never completed it because when I got to that question I realized I couldn’t answer it. Worse yet, if I tried, I could potentially outrage or alienate people Freedom depends on for its success. What does that say? As a person I should be able to express opinions, express contempt for a system, society or government that fails to protect its people. As CEO, however, I must be careful about what I say and concerned with how they can positively or negatively influence. The impact of any stance I take, or comments I make, can be far reaching in terms of the ability of the credit union to serve or even survive. Boycotts, loss of business, driving a philosophical wedge between the company and community, can spell catastrophe. Is there common ground?

Yes. We can all agree that the taking of innocent lives in such ways as we have become accustomed to must end. Regardless of the why, ideologies, rights, philosophies, underlying issues and so on, we can all agree something has gone terribly wrong. More importantly, we can all, in our own way, agree to stand up, be counted, and find answers; not only to the question, “How did we get here?”, but also, “What can we do?” As we do, we can also agree, at the very least, that we must try to make the world a better place by respecting one another, caring for one another and realizing that we actually have the power to make a difference with every word, every action or inaction, every day.

Mike