Embracing Transition

Why a Healthy Lifestyle Demands Change

Today is my birthday. If you were around a year ago, you would have seen me celebrate my 70th birthday talking about my third half of life. Little did I know then that my life would change in ways so unexpectedly.

Here are a few things that happened.

• I bought a beautiful, large, weary, century-old house in my hometown.

• My left hip rapidly deteriorated to the point that I had to have hip replacement surgery in April.

• The Eddy Network Podcast continued offering unscripted conversations with guests from around the world.

• I reconnected with my childhood church and establishing new relationships with old friends.

The return to my hometown after 53 years has been quite interesting. I’ve reconnected with some childhood friends. I’ve met many new people. I am trying to figure out why I am here.

Three initiatives emerged from this reflection.

• It is time to write the follow-up to Circle of Impact: Taking Personal Initiative To Ignite Change.

• It is time to put The Eddy Network Podcast on hiatus.

• It is time to develop a network of relationships with people and institutions in Winston-Salem.

Let me say a bit more about each initiative.

The Book

As I have studied and talked to many people, I have reached the conclusion that we are at a point in time when we do not have a clear idea of who we are as individuals and as human beings.

The past year of reflection has revealed a few thoughts. Some of these I have tested with my podcast guests. These ideas are:

Reality is what exists. We perceive reality but never completely know it. We know Reality through our Relationships with people and the places and situations that fill our lives.

Consciousness is the non-verbal language of reality. Reality communicates with us. We feel it in our bones. We sense it in the air. Some times we call this a gut feeling, other times intuition. It is a product of our sensory selves receiving input from the real world that signals to us perspectives that we need to acknowledge.

The Spiritual is the Context of Reality’s Relationship to us. The Material world, therefore, does not exist as its own entity. It is a part of this Spiritual Reality that communicates with us through our conscious awareness. This means that Spiritual Reality is more than something personal or religious. It is like the atmosphere that fills surrounds the material world.

Human Identity is more than a name, a title, an institutional association, or words strung together as my personal brand. It is not primarily an inward notion felt in opposition to the outside world. Identity is rooted in purpose, agency, and relationships.

Leadership Initiative is how we relate to the world and define ourselves as persons of meaning and impact. Understanding who we are as human beings has everything to do with the kind of leadership that we bring to the world. The challenge of taking initiative is the breakdown of the cohesive nature of society that I refer to as Center & Periphery. As the former elites of the Center have alienated themselves from the rest of society, the Periphery exists as small centers seeking connection. As a result, the context of personal initiative is the local community.

This next book extends the message of Circle of Impact in this way.

The Podcast

When I began The Eddy Network Podcast in February 2023, it was an experiment in networking and conversation. It succeeded beyond my expectations. I have met fascinating people through this experience. I believe it has been some of the best work of my career.

However, my approach to podcasting had many limitations. None of those limitations were hidden from me at the start. I knew what I was doing and embraced the opportunity to learn how to do it. I chose to focus on relationships rather than numbers.

I enjoy immensely doing all the steps of production and promotion. Each episode involves a minimum of four hours of work. As I write this, Monday’s episode is waiting for me to produce.

The time it takes to produce two episodes a week has reached the point where it keeps me from doing other things I need to do. I need to sleep more. I need more time for networking with people in my new community. I need to exercise more. I need to learn to cook better. There are projects in this old house that require not only my time but time to develop the skills to do them. I have two books to write. One is described above. The other is a book on Lewis & Clark and The Corps of Discovery as the first 21st-century leadership team. The podcast does not allow me the time and energy to do this.

I have decided to put the podcast on hiatus. I plan to bring it back sometime in the future. I love my guests. I am so grateful for the time they have given to me. This change should not be interpreted as a criticism of my guests. The episodes will remain on YouTube and Substack, where their timeless character will be there for you.

Network Building

If you have been reading my writing for some time, you know that I believe Networks of Relationships are an essential structure for the future of organizations. If you have followed The Eddy Network Podcast, you know that I network by asking the simple question, “Who do you know that you think I should know, and would introduce us?” This is how I started my consulting practice 29 years ago, and how I found all those guests for my podcast.

In order to effectively network in a new community, you need one of two things. You need to have some relationships with people who will introduce you to people. And you need a relationship with organizations that gives you access to new people to meet and get to know. I have both in situations operating to my advantage.

Creating a network of relationships takes time. People need to know what you have to offer. They need to know that you are not there to exploit them. They need to know that you actually know what you claim to know.

In the meantime, you need to have things to do that allow you to engage in an organization and its work. You need to know how you can make a contribution that provides a basis for referral.

All these factors are at work in my new community. I am enjoying the people that I am meeting. I look forward to the opportunity to serve along side them.

Understanding Transitions

Later this week, I will be giving a webinar on Understanding Transitions to a group of Kenyan leaders. My state of transition over the past year highlights this question, “Does a healthy lifestyle demand for us to always be in transition?”

If we do the same thing in the same way, day after day, year after year, what does growth and development look like from that vantage point.

I find that people cling to what they know because they feel it is safe, secure, and stable. The notion that no change is better than change is mistaken. It sets us up for failure and disappointment.

After the recession of the late 2000s, I lost all my clients in a six-week span. Most of them said to me, “We are going to pull back and wait for normal times to return.” They are still waiting because we have had nothing but change since. I changed because I knew the context of my business had changed. What do you do when this happens.

I’m putting the podcast in hiatus because my context changed. I am sacrificing something that I love and do well to advance and broaden my capacity for impact. I may be a social media content provider. But I am not just that. Fulfilling the potential in this new situation will create greater opportunities for The Eddy Network Podcast in the future.

Thank you for your support on this journey.