Enjoy the Ride, No Matter Your View

Presentation slide from 2015

Normally I do our company-wide corporate updates in person. With the changing times and like everyone else, we are now forced to take a virtual approach. As I was preparing for my first virtual corporate update, I came across a slide from a presentation I gave in January 2015. The slide read “So what’s next for 2015?”, and it showed a picture of a roller coaster with lots of twists and turns. It made me think about the roller coaster of emotions we are all currently facing so I shared a few thoughts internally. A few people suggested that others might benefit from the message within that story so I’m sharing it here, and I hope you enjoy it.

I’d like to offer this story to ponder when thinking about the business roller coaster we are on. If you’ve never ridden a roller coaster, the unknown can be frightening for some yet exciting for others. If you’ve ridden one before, you know in general what to expect, but you still might be nervous as this ride might be different than others you’ve been on. Some will ride it only once but will then shift their attention to helping other riders getting on and off, including helping those who are feeling nauseous from riding it too much. Many choose not to ride at all but will help the riders in other ways, such as taking pictures to capture the memories for us all to reflect upon throughout the coming years. Some may work behind the scenes doing maintenance or ensuring the controls work properly, ensuring the ride is safe and nobody gets hurt. We all have our own role in the roller coaster of life, and it’s a role that we choose based on our strengths and our passions. All roles are different, but certainly, all are equally important. Enjoy the ride, whatever your current view.