Be the change.

For years, the U.S. has had a reputation for being a very high-stress, over-worked workforce.

I'm sure the buzz words resonate with most of us: fast-paced, rat race, high-pressure, bottom line, time is money, and so on.

And then the world changed. A global pandemic locked many of us in basements, kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms. Morning routines were readjusted and commutes shifted from highways to hallways.

Our co-pilots in Zooms and Teams meetings were our children experiencing remote learning. While this was challenging, we managed. Maybe productivity decreased in some cases, but... we managed.

For many of us, much of our life paused.

With that pause came a breath. There was reflection, and with reflection came questions. Too many questions to summarize here. Why am I still doing X? Why is this necessary? What if I were to do Y instead? And so on.

As the planet shifted, businesses were impacted. While some industries felt pinches and choke-holds that brought a final chapter to many businesses, others flourished and found opportunities.

Workers were displaced. The beginning of what we call the Great Reshuffle was involuntary. However, as there were the casualties of the fallen industries, it was those who also became the trailblazers and pioneers of new opportunities. If I can be permitted a moment of romanticization, it was like the Phoenix of Greek mythology.

Something else happened. As the job market began to go from woeful to "wow"ful, we began asking new questions. Why am I commuting? Why don't I make "that" much? That early energized talent market inspired the rest of us asking questions to step forward and act. Questions became resume updates, interviews, offers and new horizons. And there was the Great Resignation.

Like Magellan, Columbus and the navigators of old, we became explorers.

There were the boomerangs seeking Cibola and the lost city of gold, only to return home to familiar pastures, and that which they knew was no better or worse than that which they found.

Resumes became jumpy as many took risks to find their happiness amidst this vast "land grab" of jobs and opportunity.

Stepping back, what we are witnessing might seem chaotic to some, but the description of a reshuffle seems spot on to me. I think of it like a snow globe being shaken, such that the current of the water has now shifted from previous shakes, creating new external forces on the flakes as they twist and waver, descending to their new resting place on the floor of the globe.

The reshuffle itself is becoming more mature. As if it is climbing a ladder built by Abraham Maslow, and our basic needs are being redefined and met, some of our more advanced needs are likewise being redefined.

My thoughts drift back to the first statements I made about stress-infused work cultures.

Perhaps I'm just naive and hopeful, or maybe there is something to this. Maybe the "bigger! better! faster! more! GO GO GO NOW NOW NOW" U.S. culture is calming down. Maybe the quality of the way we spend our lives has become more important. More importantly, it seems promising that the direction of our careers isn't about trading one set of evils for another anymore. Sacrificing integrity and forfeiting good leadership practices in the name of revenue, deadlines and delivery is no longer as acceptable as it once was. (Or maybe, it never was, and those who looked the other way no longer have the authority to do so any longer...)

The market is hot, like freshly baked Apple Pie. The aroma is wafting to every room in the house. It seems there is more than enough to go around. Take a bite. Be a change agent. Don't settle for behavior or activities that challenge your humanity or that of those around you.

I truly believe that our stress is derived from the friction of working to produce as well as trying to endure the manner in which we are motivated. Fear and intimidation are powerful. Maybe trust and love is more powerful? I can't speak for the rest of you, but I'm far more motivated by the thought of letting down someone who trusts me than I am of being punished for failing.

Share your story, and inspire others to join you. Building a safe, confident career will help you find authenticity in your smile. A real smile is contagious and perhaps the foundation of a generative culture. Don't settle.

When the pace is fast, and the stakes are high, it's very easy for us to throw up our hands and say "Look, I can't get involved. I've got work to do. It's not that I like the Empire; I hate it, but there's nothing I can do about it right now... It's all such a long way from here."

It takes a lot of courage to look at a situation that seems as though only 1 outcome amongst 14 million is going to yield a positive result, and to work towards that outcome with a snap of your fingers.

Be the change.