Life’s a Canvas And I’ve Been Busy Painting🎨
"Life is a great big canvas; throw all the paint you can at it." - Danny Kaye
This past month was filled with some big milestone moments: finally seeing my book in draft form on a page IRL and then handing it into my publisher (!); finishing work with clients who have grown through our work together; taking on a new level of leadership on the board of JWI as chair-elect for an organization that makes a huge impact on the world; oh, and turning another year older (on the longest day of the year – every year!).
As the month flew by I wanted to stop, take a breath, and notice even the small milestones that resulted in the big accomplishments – something I will confess I don’t often do.
Mainly because when you are in the thick of it you don’t think about recognizing the moments along the way that brought you to the top. I kept humming Sondheim’s song Putting it Together from Sunday in the Park with George to remind myself that creation and leadership is not easy….
Bit by bit, putting it together
Piece by piece, only way to make a work of art
Every moment makes a contribution
Every little detail plays a part
Bit by bit, putting it together
Piece by piece, working out the vision night and day
What it takes is time and perseverance
Dealing with details along the way
I have been dreaming of my book for a very long time and working on it for years – framing the idea, working on the proposal and then the manuscript. Seeing it in on paper even in draft form brought me to tears. Over those years, I often berated myself and wondered why it was taking so long. Yes, I was busy – working with clients, producing, and performing in Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End around the country; and well, living through pandemics and other big life events.
Finally – no matter what was happening - I just had to do the focused work of sitting in a chair by myself reading, researching, and writing – which for this extrovert was incredibly hard. So knowing that I have always done better on big things with great collaborators, I am so grateful that I had an amazing editor, collaborator and sherpa guide on this book, Lari Bishop without whom I would not have made it to the summit.
I will admit there were times when I wondered if I should just give up -- and yet I kept going. I told someone it was like the biggest mountain I’d climbed in my professional life that I ironically call the EDGE: Explore, Dream, Grow & Excite® because of the metaphorical mountains we all seek to climb in our lives and careers.
Which brings me to the recent news of the climbers on Mount Everest who apparently breezed their way to the top with the use of Xenon gas. I was struck by the ease with which they made the climb, going past all the other climbers who were struggling, and I wondered was the summit as sweet with the aid of that accelerant. If they didn’t suffer to make it to the top, perhaps the meaning of the accomplishment is diminished?
Well, apparently, suffering does make the hard stuff worthwhile. This is the research of psychologist Michael Inzlicht, who studies effort, motivation and meaning. In this recent episode of the Hidden Brain, he explained that we only do hard things which involve frustration, pain, and disappointment – because we believe it gives us meaning – because humans are actually hard-wired to take the path of least resistance. So we better pay attention to the meaning part – because that is the gift for all that effort.
And because each big milestone is made up of so many decisions and steps along the way that lead to the final result, paying attention and celebrating those small steps is perhaps the only way to get through it. In fact, according to research, it motivates you to keep going.
There have been so many lessons along the way to reaching this big milestone, but if I can sum them up in a way that may be useful for those of you scaling your own mountains, I’d share these:
Assemble the right team to climb with you;
Be aware of the obstacles along the way and know there will be many you can’t plan for;
When taken off your path, just like that old horse, get right back on or inertia will set in;
Stop and celebrate the small successes along the way – bit by bit, chapter by chapter, section by section;
Keep your vision story top of mind—the reason you started this all in the first place—it will energize you and fuel your way to the top.
As always, I like to share one thing with you that moved me each month. This year on my birthday, I went to see Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra at the annual Rochester International Jazz Festival. I am so grateful that I could celebrate while listening to artists at the height of their creativity and musicianship - each piece was composed by a member of the orchestra. And I was amazed to witness the humble leadership of Wynton Marsalis – who didn’t grab the spotlight but who played in the band right next to the artists he has nurtured and championed. Kudos to my friend Marc Iacona, who, along with his partner John Nugent, have produced the Rochester International Jazz Festival every year for 22 years—a huge mountain to climb each year that brings the greatest and the brightest of jazz and music to Rochester, NY. You should come next year!
I am excited to share that my book will soon be available for pre-sale and will finally be officially published in early 2026. Stay tuned for more information here and on my website.
I look forward to the opportunity to work with you or your organization to grow your EDGE: Explore, Dream, Grow & Excite®. Feel free to reach out anytime.
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