• Giving Thanks

    Posted on November 26th, 2008 by and currently 0 commenting.

    I was going to write about the power of organizational purpose today, and never underestimating the value of alignment. But then I woke up and made the mistake (again) of watching the news. “Catastrophe”. “Disaster”. “Meltdown”. “Anxiety”. Just a few of the words that got thrown out within 5 minutes.

    So I decided instead that I was going to spend my few minutes this morning sharing some things that help me to put life in perspective.

    First off, for me nothing gives perspective like nature. My husband and I chose to move to Asheville for the mountains. And of all the mountains, I love the Appalachians the best. Not because they are the grandest, or the most awesome. The snowfall is laughable at best, at least down on this end, if you’re a serious skier. No… I love them exactly because they are old and worn. Because these mountains used to be taller than the Himalayas. And they have endured and weathered century after century. Because you can look out and see ridge line after ridge line. And that makes me feel small. And reminds me that no matter what happens, or how stupid people can be, Nature will endure.

    Second, and I say this as a scientist, I find solace in the fact that there are some things in life we will just never understand completely. As marketers we strive to predict consumer behavior. We spend millions on models for economic forecasting. We talk about branding as a science. But the simple truth is there is something magical about human behavior. Those emergent properties of “self” and “soul” that, even if you choose to believe are rooted in biology or physics, are certainly not able to be dissected. Inspiring people will always be more art than science.

    Third, I’m thankful for mess. That’s right. Messiness. Noise. Asymmetry. As a mother of two young children, embracing mess is pretty much a survival strategy. But it’s more than that. Without messiness there would be no life, no beauty, no creativity. Complete order is pathological. Did you know that the only time your heart beat is perfectly regular is just before you’re about to have a heart attack? That’s right, a normal, healthy heartbeat has noise, fluctuation. Life emerges at the intersection of chaos and order. So sometimes what we need to move forward, and find a better solution, is exactly the kind of volatility we are in right now.

    Lastly, and certainly not least, my family is healthy, I can take a hot shower every day, I have hot food to eat and a house with heat (& air conditioning). I have clothes I wear once a year – and a dozen pair of shoes that are designed for only one outfit. We have two cars, 4 car seats – so we don’t have to switch them, a magical washing machine for our clothes, and our dishes…

    Alright I could go on, but you get the point.

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!