Alright, so let’s keep moving forward. The first half of my sophomore year in college I took an intro to photography class. Probably the best lesson I learned in that lab wasn’t even about photography. It was the definition of ‘beauty’ – “a combination of qualities that pleases the intellect or moral sense” (according to my Apple Dictionary). The professor explained that the fact that something could be considered beautiful, didn’t necessarily mean that it could be considered “pretty” or “attractive” in the typical sense. Hence, the phrase “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” I have this idea that the first law regarding energy can be adapted to beauty. Let’s try it.

Beauty cannot be created nor destroyed, only transferred.

I could list a million and one examples of why I think this idea is generally true, but that’s not much fun. Think about it. A person that can create something beautiful must be beautiful themselves. Perhaps not in aesthetics, but in quality of character. Transference of beauty. We, as people, can destroy beautiful things, beautiful ideas, and beautiful creations. That kind of power is beautiful. The act of destroying something beautiful will lead to the creation of something else that is beautiful. Beauty can’t be destroyed.

Though this theory is highly subjective, I find a lot of truth and comfort in it. Ask me about it sometime. I’ll explain further.

You are beautiful,
Edison Cruz

     Traveling is the analogy that makes most sense here. If I’m traveling from California to Florida, logic would tell me that the only way to go is by plane, but the reality is, that’s not true. I can drive, ride a bus, take a train, bike, walk, run, take a cruise, hitchhike, or make it a million other ways. All those means of getting to the end destination of Florida of course have their pros and cons. But the fact still is that there’s a countless amount of ways to reach the desired destination.

     The same rules apply to getting to a certain point in your life or attaining certain goals. Yes, most people would fly to Florida because that was the best way for them, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the best way for you. Don’t think of moments in life as failures when they don’t follow suit with everybody else’s plans, but rather as deviations in the path that gave you the opportunity to learn something that everybody else didn’t get to learn themselves. In the end, if your path was the same as everybody else’s you’ve got no story to tell.

     Finally, since I’m talking about life paths, I couldn’t finish this off without mentioning Robert Frost and his famous ‘The Road Not Taken.’ Cliché? Definitely. But I’m okay with that.

     I rushed to get on the train, and this one was different than the rest I was used to. I didn’t get my own seat on the second level, like usual, where I could just silently sit and gaze out the window then inevitably fall asleep. This time the train was cramped and the air was thick with a very somber mood. Down the isle from me there was a woman who had obviously suffered very serious burns to her face & arms and right across from me there were two older men. One with such drastic curvature to his back that he needed a walker to get around and the other with a cane and the appearance of somebody who had seen everything in this world. 

     After several stops, the older gentleman with the walker got up and bade his friend adieu. As the train continued, the other older gentleman began to get curious as to how far we were from his stop in San Francisco. He asked me for the time, I told him and explained how many stops it would be until we reached our destination. 

     Identifying with his inexperience with the area, I asked him where he was from. He explained that he was on his way to see some of his family. He then explained that he was old, and with a very proud, dignified voice he said it made him feel like a man to be able to get around on his own, even if he did need a cane. It made me smile. I hope to carry myself with that much pride and self-respect when I am his age. What he said next though, is the point of this story. He said “you know, these (pointing to his legs) don’t always work very well, no… and this (pointing to his groin), eh, it doesn’t work so well anymore either, but you know what? Life is beautiful.” “Yeah?” I replied. “Yes, life is beautiful. Look at everything around us. There’s so much to enjoy and appreciate on God’s green earth. Life is beautiful.”

     Those words have resonated with me ever since. No matter what is wrong, no matter what seems impossible to overcome, just remember, life is beautiful.

“What a bogus excuse.

If you take a job, you’ve bought into what the company does. You’re responsible.

If you work for a company headed off a cliff, hey, you’re going too. The fact that you’re just doing your job doesn’t make unemployment any better. And if the company is hurting people or the world you operate in, it doesn’t matter who told you to do it, you still did it.

It’s not just your job. It’s a big part of your life. And you’re way smarter than you’re giving yourself credit for. Speak up, change things or get out. Whining later is a low-return strategy.

Sorry for the rant. Been getting a lot of email this week from people explaining why they work for companies doing dumb things.”

-by Seth Godin

This piece is short and sweet, but it’s so true. My entire adult life (which granted, isn’t that long) I’ve thought of work this way. Why? Because it’s true! Whether you’re in college and spend 15 to 30 hours a week at a job or you’re all grown up and spend 40 or 50+ hours a week there, just like the people you associate with, the work you do, the company you affiliate yourself with helps define who you are. This is one of the single biggest reasons why I’m so incredibly picky about where I want to work. Even if I had a position with Company A and Company B offered me the same job, paying more money and better benefits, etc., but Company B really wasn’t accomplishing things that are worthwhile to me in the grand scheme of things, I’d stay at Company A.

The point is pretty straightforward. Everything you do defines who you are. And if the reason that you keep the job that you have is only money, I would say, there’s a lot of inferences that could be made there. Think about it.

On a final note, Seth Godin is an incredible writer and prominent influence on my business and life outlooks. I’d definitely recommend checking out his blog. His writings can be applied to business, life, and anything else you can imagine. I hope at least a couple of you take the chance to read some of his work.

Thanks for being part of this,
Edison