The Ides of March

This ominous day has had a haunting feeling for thousands of years, ever since it marked the assassination of Julius Caesar.  This was a key part of the ultimate downfall of the Roman Empire.  An empire that lasted 1,000 years, but eventually fell to attackers hundreds of years after the Caesar event.

Prior to that assassination, the Ides of March (March 15) was considered kind of a fun, festival day.  Celebrations and activities were the norm.   But the events in Rome that day changed it forever.  Some say Caesar was even warned that day by a person with visions that it would be a dangerous one.  “Beware the Ides of March” was said in the Shakespeare version.

The Ides of March also marks almost a quarter of the year gone as well – time is moving fast!

On this Ides of March, I cannot help but be reminded that all things change.  Sometimes they change slowly, sometimes they change fast.  It is impossible to stay in one place, using one approach, living in one empire, forever.  Events happen that shift us entirely off course.   Those that are able to adapt survive, those that are not will not.

The Roman Empire was not able to change and adapt enough and ultimately fell.  This was the longest empire to ever last on earth.  Timeframes now for movement and change are so much faster than they were then.  We must be ready to move forward with agility so quickly now in all that we do in order to achieve success.

Change can feel ominous, like this day sometimes feels.  But only with change comes growth and evolution.  The path through can be painful and challenging.  The reward at the other end can be great.

Perhaps instead of “Beware the Ides of March” we can shift our minds and now say, “Prepare for the Ides of March.”