In Greek mythology, Nike is a goddess equated with speed, strength and victory. How fast one is expected to achieve these three qualities depends on the individual and perhaps the event. In today's society of instant gratification and social media reporting all which occurs within a time span, sometimes the focus is out-of-focus. What happened to hard work, determination, and sweat equity? What happened is marketing has led many to believe we can have it all instantaneously without putting forth much effort. The reality is, time is noted, logged, clocked, recorded - but its essence is a variable dictated not by a stopwatch or time card, but as the tortoise moved against the hare - with an endurance of conviction and consistency. The latter two are what prevail as the victors. In the moment, it may not seem as such. Speed often equates to progress and winning, but speed can also cause mistakes and sometimes serious or deadly consequences. True victory is recognizing the strength required to persevere and to not fall victim to the obstacles which slow one's progress. Learning to navigate these obstacles is the victory. Sometimes we have to go above, below, around or just push through; but there's always a way to JUST DO IT.
In the December issue of FORTUNE Magazine, an article about Hershey chocolates caught my eye. It shouldn't be a surprise when a large, very successful company continues to use assessment tools and research for data analysis. What more, thought I, needs expansion or improvement? Who doesn't love Hershey kisses? The analysis involved paying attention to trends; trends of the consumer. This equestrian realizes in our industry, we have trends too, but how often do we record the data for future use? Is the data for personal or professional gain? Is the data seasonal or proactively projected forward for planning? Are the positive effects weighed against the negative ones? For example, how many times has a horse had colic before/after an event, or not even associated with an event? Is there a pattern or trend which alerts the horse owner or trainer to another issue? We all can't be veterinarians and have been schooled in horse physiology but we know our animals intimately. Maybe it's time to begin journaling our observations and thinking more like the Research and Data/Development industry (R & D). Saving money because a medical issue was detected before it turned worse is always a sweet deal. Much like the peppermints used to reward our horses. Who doesn't like a little sugar now and then?
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AuthorNo official titles as a writer; however, passionate about expression and especially networking. Archives
August 2018
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