The other day I was aimlessly watching my microwave do its thing. 5, 4, 3, 2, and voila, my healthy frozen meal was ready to eat! I am currently addicted to Daily Harvest and if you haven’t heard of it, it’s a meal subscription box that delivers delicious healthy, organic meals straight to your door step. It is fairly pricey, but since I have so many food sensitivities, it saves me a ton of time that I don’t have to plan and in less than five minutes I can enjoy a delicious meal. As Adam would call it, “Bird Food”, but to me it’s life support, and no , this is not an ad. I wonder what the early American settlers would have thought of how easy we have it nowadays. After all, I’m ironically consuming branded food entitled “Daily Harvest”, that I microwave in five minutes or less. I did not have to till the soil, plant the seeds, hope for good weather and reap the harvest. Someone else did the work, and I just reap the benefits.
How much of the things in our life are instant? Food, entertainment, online shopping, service? While the 21st century has allowed us to have all the things in record time, I can’t help but wonder if some of our character has been lost. Do we even appreciate the grueling journey rather than the destination? Or the sowing rather than the harvest? If you are like me, then no!
Growing and maintaining a business is certainly no easy task, and we cannot not merely microwave it to success. There is no recipe ; It’s a slow and steady simmer. We can add all the ingredients, but it still might not turn out the way we had hoped. We want a thriving company that values our customers while delivering a quality product with a personal touch. We also want to be profitable, and care for our employees. We have the end goal, but getting there is the hard part. Every day poses new challenges whether it is copious amounts of snow that fall from the sky, equipment break downs, or frankly, dealing with our own attitudes and insufficiencies; we are, after all, merely human. But what if we shifted out perspective? Instead of getting frustrated that our dreams haven’t fully materialized, what if we live in the moment, embracing all of the challenges and accepting them as opportunities for growth? What if we found joy in the game, rather than the win?
For me, 2021, is all about shifting perspective. I want our
team to have their sights set on the win, but to more importantly
focus and enjoy the training. We want to embrace the challenges, work smarter not harder and accept every obstacle as a way to improve. We want to be active participants in the transformation, and not merely celebrators in the win. I know, I know, shifting perspective is no easy task and it will take a ton of work especially since we are bombarded with negativity every single day. So how can you dear reader enjoy the personal journey that you are on? Let’s first start with gratitude. Write down five different things that you are grateful for and acknowledge the distance that you have already traveled. And if you have just started on your journey? Be grateful that you are taking the first baby steps toward transformation’; it’s more than some can say in a lifetime. We wish you all the best, and let’s enjoy the journey together!
