Letter from Jeff – Quarterly Newsletter Q4 2022
Control – Do We Actually Have?
by Jeff Millens
What do we actually control in our worlds ? Everyone is so consumed with trying to control everything. Seems like this desire to gain control causes anxiety, depression and stress. None of those seem like good things to me! Hurricane Ian was a really terrible event that effected so many peoples lives. People lost family members, animals, houses, cars, boats, personal possessions and more – just really a terrible event in which we realize we control NOTHING. We may think we control things, but in reality we don’t.
In the world of freight, as a freight forwarder, we would like to think we control the warehouses, trucks, airplanes and vessels, but we don’t. We work hard to choose the right vendor partners, but a flat tire or a driver who calls in for Covid puts all of our plans out of control. I can tell you that we control the flow of information of delays, etc….but that is communication, not control – the best communication in the industry!
We need to realize that what we actually control is faith or a belief. The faith to be good to all we work with and who share the world with us. The faith to believe in what gives us strength and courage to move forward. This faith may be religious, may be spiritual or it may be something personal to you. As a father of 5 with 3 children in the work force and 2 still in college, I have faith they will mostly make good decisions ( we have all made a couple doozies 😊 ). BUT I have no control over their decisions. I may and do offer guidance; but the final decisions are theirs. Do they show respect to their employer day to day? Do they go to class on time and do their homework ? I control none of this but have faith they will and do make good decisions.
As we all move forward out of the Covid Time, let’s have faith in each other. Let’s have faith that every day great things are going to happen. Let’s have faith that by realizing we may organize things and we may communicate goals; it is OK to surrender control because we never actually had it. It seems like today everyone wants to control us and our thoughts, but in reality they can’t.
“Government control gives rise to fraud, suppression of Truth, intensification of the black market and artificial scarcity. Above all, it unmans the people and deprives them of initiative, it undoes the teaching of self-help…”
― Mahatma Gandhi
I think this guy was way ahead of his time! Wishing all a fantastic day and hoping one day I actually can control the NY Jets and they win the Super Bowl! Ooops – that is just my faith and hope.
Regards – Jeff
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