Happy Monday after the Super Bowl (which I continue to maintain should be a holiday of some sort). I hope you enjoyed your weekend. Whether it was good, or restful, or hectic, or busy, it is time to get back to work. To help get started, I like to say that one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. Here’s the quote::
“Adversity draws men together and produces beauty and harmony in life’s relationships, just as the cold of winter produces ice-flowers on the window-panes, which vanish with the warmth.”
— Soren Kierkegaard
Now, this is a little flowerier than I usually go. Most of my MMM quotes have a more practical bent. But I like this one today – it really encapsulates the day and the current status for me. It has been a trying winter. There has been sickness, and distraction, and weather, and work, and travel, and more. And personally, I have always been one who is affected by the cold weather, so the tone of this one speaks to me as well.
I like the optimism of this quote. Because the truth is, it’s not a guarantee. Adversity does not always draw people together. Adversity can be a source of stress; it can divide teams or families. It can cause poor communication to get worse, and it can fray nerves and fracture relationships.
But here is a reminder – it does not have to. Adversity can bring teams or people closer together. When you have a good leader, and you have a team with a good attitude, the stress of accomplishing a major project or finishing in time for a deadline can forge a bond. It can deepen that trust, and your team can come out on the other side in better shape than they went in.
This can be true outside of work as well. Home life can be stressful. You may have schedules and obligations and deadlines and pressure, just like at work. A person under that kind of stress can go one of two ways. They may crack under the stress; they may let that pressure isolate them or harm their relationships. Or they may surround themselves with people (family friends, neighbors) who are ready to help them produce beauty and harmony. That adversity will provide a challenge for them to meet, and when they do, they will find that they have tested their support network and found it more powerful, more reliable than they ever knew.
So what can I take away from this? Maybe just the way I look at adversity when it comes up this week. Problems for me will not be an obstacle; instead, they will be an opportunity to overcome and accomplish something, and maybe forge some deeper relationships along the way.
And let’s not forget the best part of the quote – eventually, it is going to get warmer.
Have a great week everybody.