Lesson Twenty: The Faces of Toby

There is a collage of my son Toby which hangs above his bed, pictures taken over the past two years chronicling his growth.What I find striking about the collage is how each photograph captures a slightly different perspective of him.

Sometimes I catch a glimpse of his mother, sometimes myself. In other photos I can see a hint of the man he will become. In another the troublemaker, still another the angel. One photo shows a hint of sadness. In another I see joy. But each photo gives me an insight into who he is.

This doesn’t have anything to do with marketing.

But the collage got me thinking about goals.We all work hard in our jobs and businesses. Most days our heads are down, caught up in the moment-to-moment drama of work. And then there are times where we are confronted with a much greater reality.That’s when we are forced into truly seeing the petty daily details as what they really are.

So I asked myself, why do I work?

I have to confess that part of why I work is for the pleasure of working. It has nothing to do with money, or success or family. It is for the simple gratification of accomplishing something.

But as I look at the many, subtle faces of my lovely son, I realize that my work is just a method of providing a good, safe, comfortable, loving life for my family. And I’m shamed into the further realization that I frequently lose sight of this fact by getting caught up in the daily struggles and taking my eye off the prize.

Ask yourself the same question. Is your goal to work? Or are you working towards a greater goal? Which is it?



Principles of Persuassion by Shane Spark