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(NOT Boris Pasternak)
In my usual weekly hunt for interesting topics and quotes, I came across something remarkable said by a Russian Poet by the name of Boris Pasternak. He was best known for winning a Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1958 but the quote that I came across opened up a train of thought that reminded me of something we often talk about when we’re working with groups.

“Man is born to live, not to prepare for life.”

Now, if taken too literally, you might think that this quote encourages people to party hard and worry about the repercussions later. That could be the case but I feel that the point is to prepare for the future while always remembering to enjoy the present. It’s so easy to get caught up in our plans for the future (the whole “when I grow up” concept) and thus, remembering to enjoy the journey can be difficult.  Granted, it has the feel of a certain speech from the movie “Dead Poets Society” but I feel as if it is important to remember to appreciate the journeys we take in life.

For TEAM EFFECT, Inc., we talk about the difference between a task and a goal. We say that the goal is the “thing” you are truly working towards while the tasks are the “tools” to get you there. In relation to our quote above you might agree that the main goal in life is to enjoy your days on this planet and feel successful. The tasks then are all the day to day projects, events, meetings, and appointments that keep us moving in the right direction. It is not necessarily the daily events that are measured as much as the quality in which we live our lives that is important.

When talking to a group, I’ll often times compare the concept to one’s education stating that it is not necessarily the ending grade that matters but rather how much you learned in the class that means the most (WARNING: Convincing parents of this idea can be quite difficult).

Well then, what are the goals you set for yourself? And what tasks are you working on to get you closer to accomplishing your goals?

Oh, and what DO you want to be when you grow up?

-Tyler
 


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