The flip side, of course, is that any small accomplishment becomes a major milestone -- especially when first moving here: I crossed Road #1!! I paid my electricity bill!!
The other aspect that never ceases to amaze me is how different people respond to the various inevitable day-to-day challenges.
"Problem is there" is the typical reply... this is a general catch-all, from pizza not being available at Pizza Hut, to money not available at an ATM. While the sentence structure is a literal translation from Hindi, the overall passivity of the statement irks me to no end.
More and more, I'm realizing how many people look out and see nothing but challenges and problems. Even for people who are exponentially more proactive than the "problem is there" worker, challenges seem insurmountable. Midway in my Acumen fellowship, I remember Jacqueline saying: "Of course there are challenges and of course this is hard. But the important question to ask yourself is: are these challenges inspiring you or are they weighing you down?"
Perhaps it's simply human nature, but more and more I'm finding that people are focused on the negatives -- why it won't work, why it can't happen, and all the challenges along the way on the small chance that it does.
Maybe that's why it's so inspiring to work so closely with an entrepreneur. By definition, they see opportunities where everyone else sees doom and gloom (one of my favorite anecdotes is the one where two shoe salesmen go to a rural community... one comes back dejected: "There's no market; no one wears shoes..."-- while the other comes back elated: "What an amazingly huge market!! No one wears shoes!!"
Of course, there's nothing Pollyanna or naively optimistic about this. Good entrepreneurs obviously also carefully analyze the risks and mitigate these to the extent possible. But for me, what's most inspiring is the mindset. It's about taking a leap, confidently and passionately... rather than sitting on the sidelines and highlighting problems, fearing failure.
In our old office, I had a JFK quote up, for last year's anniversary of the moon landing:
"We choose to go to the moon. We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard...
...because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills
...because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone."
Maybe it's not the moon. But in our everyday challenges, this choice, this willingness to do things that are not always easy -- seems to make all the difference in living a life you're passionate about, or wading through life as a constant struggle.
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