Sorrow vs. Strategy

Look at the capstones creating our archway. These are the stones you must use to create a foundation of Grace over Grief… a safe walkway that will help you avoid falling into the valley of hopelessness and doom.

Throughout my new book, you see we always have a choice between a positive or negative emotion.

We choose to be gloomy or grateful.

We choose to be pessimistic or proactive.

We silently choose, even when we don’t realize it, Regrets vs. Grace.

With no positive choice, the negative will naturally remain. Do nothing, Regret and Remorse will consume your life.

What I have found is that most people in grief counseling accept the fact that they will suffer a downward spiral from hopelessness, depression, anger, and another 500 negative emotions that surface at a time of loss.

The people in my group are doubtlessly hurting—a couple in true pain—physically and mentally.

I choose Strategy over Sorrow because I know it will keep you well above the swirling waters down in the gorge of grief.

As an executive, I face this problem every day. Something happens and we must cross over the chasm of change.

When I lost Jan, I saw that I would be sucked down into the valley of despair and doom, or I had to quickly build a bridge across it.

Look carefully at the arch stones in our bridge of Grace. These are the stones you will use to cross over your own river of grief.

The strategy is simple…

When you feel a sense of loss, be Grateful for what you have, and as importantly, all the good years you had together.

When you feel you are drowning, foster Resilience by holding on to your strength.

When you feel you are not capable of dealing with your loss, look in the mirror and see the person looking back at you. Be Authentic, you are more than capable.

When you feel there is no future for you, it’s time to get Creative. Remember, the best way to predict the future is to create it.

And finally, when you feel nobody understands your pain and loss, Empathy is your tool to deal.

The good news is…

Instead of remaining a victim of grief, you can take a few small steps today to become a bridge-builder.

As for me, I started with Gratitude. 30 wonderful years building a high-energy, conviction-driven partnership made me the luckiest man alive.

To honor this fabulous woman I took that first step and somewhere in the back my mind, I could hear her cheer saying, “Great start! I will be with you always—believe it!”

God Bless,

Eric Richard Haas

Stone by stone you build the bridge of Grace