Friends,
“I have plowed in the sea and sown in the wind”. These are
the words a disillusioned Simon Bolívar allegedly used to describe his legacy.
If the man who liberated five South American nations; the George Washington of
Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Perú and Bolivia could feel this way, I suppose
we mere mortals can be forgiven for occasionally indulging in such thoughts. We
come into work, power through innumerable meetings, work on accomplishing our
goals, push the company forward and when we take stock of our progress, wonder whether
there has been any. Are our efforts truly appreciated, fully valued and
properly rewarded? When these thoughts come, I find it helpful to take a step
back and put things in perspective. While weekly progress may seem glacial,
these small contributions add-up over time. Looking at a quarter –or a year—can
open our eyes to the magnitude of our achievements. Our work makes a
difference. Our teams and stakeholders rely on the small contributions we make
every day. So, the next time you feel like Sisyphus pushing the proverbial rock
up the hill, take a break, grab a donut and put things in the perspective of
time. Or, to quote Aldous Snow, “If the world slips you a Jeffrey, stroke thefurry wall” (if you haven’t watched Get him to the Greek, you can
disregard this last sentence)
Happy Friday!
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