Years ago, when Small Army’s offices were on Newbury Street, I got in the habit of posting photos from the Boston Public Garden as walked to and from our parking garage under the Boston Common. The posts, each tagged with #smelltheroses, were a daily reminder for me (and the few people who followed me) to be thankful for all the good things in life.
Since moving to Horticultural Hall in 2012, I stopped posting those images. So, a few weeks ago, when this post that compared some of the less positive things in life to the good things that they represent was circulating Facebook, I was reminded to stop and smell the roses again.
I found it helpful to apply this exercise to the things that sometimes cause me stress and frustration. For your enjoyment (and my personal therapy/sanity), I’ve included my list here.
I am grateful for:
- Debating the “small things” with my colleagues
= colleagues who are passionate about doing great work - Lice
= two amazing kids with beautiful hair - Tough client feedback
= clients who are comfortable being honest with us - Really harsh New England winters
= warm Summers and beautiful Falls - Bad customer service
= the means to buy whatever it was in the first place - Picking up poop
= a dog that loves me unconditionally - Always working
= a job I enjoy, and enough work to keep me and the entire Small Army busy - Attending dance recitals
See #2 - Cooking dinner after a long day of work
= a beautiful wife who prefers cleaning over cooking - Long plane rides without much leg room
= the opportunity to travel and see the world
It feels good to smell the roses. I encourage you to do the same.
As always, please feel free to share comments here. Together, I’m sure we can create quite a garden of roses.
Have a great day!
Jeff Freedman
CEO/Managing Partner
Small Army | Finn Partners