“The world needs competent people with the heart to keep showing up, day in and day out, and often on the night shift, to do the hard work. This inner work of embracing both passion and vulnerability is essential to cultivating a heart that can withstand all the pain and complexity and still show up to help make a difference.” — Shelley L. Francis, Author, The Courage Way: Leading & Living with Integrity

I have a neat app called “Readwise” that scans all the books that I’ve read and sends me things I have outlined previously. The above quote showed up today, and it prompted a response.

“The world” is a complicated place these days. I notice that “the world” I see reflected in the media and the one I walk around in can be very different.

The accounts in the media are sensational. They are extreme. They are provocative by design. They are the exception rather than the rule.

The world I travel in, especially in our company, is filled with “competent people,” as described in the quote.

You show up every day. You have a job to do. It’s challenging. It’s in the elements, whether hot, cold, wet, humid, or dusty. You do the “hard work.” You make the contributions at work despite a world of things that would cause your heart to be vulnerable. Kids going to school amid a pandemic. Loved ones experiencing medical trials. An explosive political battle raging on the airwaves that causes concern.

Yet you weather it all and find a way to show up and make a difference.

The quote reminded me of how proud I am of our team. It reminded me how blessed we are to be working together. It reinforced my certainty that we are making a difference every day.

Thank you. I am grateful.