By now you’ve probably heard that there will be a total solar eclipse in two weeks (August 21). This will be the first total solar eclipse (when the moon moves directly between Earth and the sun) visible in the United States in nearly four decades.
(Wikipedia)
During the eclipse, the 70-mile-wide shadow cast by the moon will darken the skies from Oregon to South Carolina, according to Space.com. What makes this eclipse notable is how accessible it will be to many people since the path of most total eclipses falls over water or unpopulated regions of the planet. This event will go down as the first total solar eclipse whose path of totality stays completely in the United States since 1776. Too bad it didn’t happen on July 4!
Total solar eclipses supposedly have happened at notable times in history. Jesus’ crucifixion, Mohammed‘s birth, and King Henry I‘s death all coincided with a total eclipse. I’m not here to speculate on why those or other events happened simultaneously with a disruption in the Sun’s presence. Instead, I want to focus on a business thought that came to me as I thought about other effects an eclipse has.
When we fall into the moon’s shadow, birds think it’s night and stop chirping, the temperature falls, and things not usually visible become clear. The Sun’s corona, which is the Sun’s upper atmosphere, is clearly visible, as are many stars and planets often obscured at night by moonlight or all the lights turned on automatically on the ground. If you look around you, you might even see a 360-degree sunset as well. What does this have to do with business?
We all have our business “sun.” It might be our process, it might be our boss or coworkers, it might be the favorite customers that illuminate our days, provide warmth, and make survival possible, Every once in a while, however, it’s not a bad idea to precipitate an eclipse of some sort. As with the upcoming event, doing so will often make things visible that your business sun obscures. Maybe your reliance on that sun or suns is stopping you from seeing things about them or opportunities beyond them. What do you think?
Consult Keith 