Dear friends,
Recently, I have found many folks are apt to allow conversations to drift toward negativity, if not dive right into it. And it's an easy direction to drift toward.
Thomas Brinsko
Thomas Brinsko, CEO, BIC Alliance
We have all sorts of challenges: COVID-19, lockdowns, a "woke" narrative, a federal spending blowout, the current business environment for traditional energy, etc. It's enough to wipe you out mentally if you let it. So don't let it! I've self-determined to center the conversation around a positive mindset, combined with some orders of action to overcome obstacles and challenges in the current environment.
Even the greatest lives and careers are full of profound losses and heartbreaks. Sometimes life can seem a bit disappointing, or worse, downright hard. It seems pain is inevitable. Although we may say we know good can come out of it ("no pain, no gain" and "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger"), what hurts still hurts. Still, most folks I come across, even those who objectively have reason to be down, seem to express a good bit of hope. Intuition tells me – all other things being equal – these hopeful people have the best chance to succeed.
While the petrochemical and refining sector chugs along, many of our colleagues in the exploration and production sector are experiencing a slower rebound in business. Most of the majors reported big profits last quarter, and the commodity prices for crude and natural gas have certainly trended positively recently.
Hope is usually defined in terms of emotion, i.e., "a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen." For many, hope is synonymous with "want" or "expectation." It denotes a passive approach to a desired outcome. Understood in this way, hope is a state of mind, a wish or thought born from distress. But merely having a positive mindset isn't enough to be a real change agent. A Pollyanna naiveté can be foolish and even dangerous. Disappointment and heartache can be the tragic offspring of unfounded optimism.
I believe real hope is better defined as an active process involving the pursuit of goals. An active hope includes both a determination of how to reach these goals and the perseverance to see them to fruition. In this light, hope makes us creative; it challenges us to discover strategies for change. Hoping involves taking positive thoughts about the future, putting a lot of resources and hard work behind them, and gauging your progress until it happens.
As humans, we need hope. We can't live without it. It is the lifeblood of our very survival; it is the only thing that pulls us away from the pain and hurt of life.
Hope requires some belief that one is not trapped and there is a way out of a bad situation. And we in America are not trapped in any singular situation. Hope requires a way to hold on to positive thoughts and feelings while going through something negative. Although not required, hope often involves an aspect of spirituality. Biblical hope is unique; it's a confident trust in God and what He is doing in the world and in our lives. With God, believers are assured they will not be trapped. The active part of biblical hope still requires one to walk in that confident trust.
But hope isn't bound to a religious faith. Secular scholars agree that it is a requirement for a positive existence. From the largest study of hopeful people ever conducted, world-renowned expert on the psychology of hope and senior scientist, Shane J. Lopez, Ph.D., postulated that hope is not just an emotion but an essential life tool. Hope is also a leading indicator of success in relationships, academics, careers and businesses. People who have a higher level of hope have healthier habits, including sleeping more and eating healthier foods. They have fewer colds and less hypertension. Students who are more hopeful even have higher grades.
I think you all know, dear readers, either intuitively or experientially, when people have a boss who makes them feel hopeful about the future, they are more engaged at work. When frustration and pain are left unchecked by hope, people can spiral downward. It can be a dangerous vortex pulling one into depression and despair. At BIC Alliance, we believe we are called to lift one another up with a message of hope. As part of this mission, BIC Media released "Rock Bottom and Back" as a book and DVD several years ago. It's a timely message for today, featuring 12 interesting stories of individuals who harnessed hope to reverse their own spirals. (If you send me an email, I'll mail you a complimentary copy.)
I truly hope your life will be made better by the information you pick up in this issue of BIC. In this issue, we have interviews with Association for Materials Protection and Performance CEO Bob Chalker; Indorama Ventures – Integrated Oxides & Derivatives Port Neches Operations Site Director Kim Hoyt; Braskem Senior Process Engineer Jenna Ly; National Ocean Industries Association President Erik Milito; Aegion Energy Services President Rick St. Laurent; Cadence Bank, N.A. Executive Group Manager Gale Smith; and Heritage Environmental Services President Ernie Walker. We also have features on a variety of topics important to your business, including choosing the right gas detection for your site, preparing facilities for extreme weather, creating a better safety observation system without victims or villains, the changing needs of the workforce and why employees are unhappy at work.
Here is my message to you: Don't despair, and don't merely wish for better. Get active and hope. Hope matters. Hope is a choice. Hope can be learned. Hope is contagious.
