Hope

Part One
Work has been getting me down, recently.

Yesterday, I requested additional people on my team because the workload is so demanding. I was basically turned down. So here I am, trying to get this immense amount of work done with half the people required. And I don't feel like working these crazy hours.

I stayed tonight until 10:30 for tomorrow's deadline. I wrote an honest email to three higher-ups, letting them know that we cannot make our deadline and we'd better figure out what to do.

I've done my best in terms of managing my team. I honestly think that not many people could work harder or faster than I do. And yet, I'm the one overworking. The thing is, I've invested so much time and energy into these projects, and they won't be complete for a couple years. Do I walk away now, before they're done?

And I've overworked at almost every office I've been with. So who's to say the insanity will stop? Maybe it's me. It's a difficult decision.



Part Two
Last night, before going to bed, I watched 'The Big Idea', with Donny Deutsch.

Donny is a bit annoying to watch (he seems to always be screaming), but the show's premise is a good one - interviews with various people who came up with simple, innovative ideas and created a business around them, to become very successful. The guest on this show was telling a story about how he wanted to earn money for college. He approached a mentor, who suggested he open a sandwich shop. The mentor lent the guy $1,000 to start the business.

The first store started off very well. Then business tapered a little. The guy started two additional stores within the first year. They were called 'Pete's Sandwich Store' (or something like that).

The second year, they opened three more stores. There were some ups and downs.

Anyhow, this is the story of how Subway started out. Hm. The founder, Fred DeLuca, was ranked 242nd of the 400 richest Americans, by Forbes Magazine in 2006. I bet he never wound up going to college.

And what is the point of this long post?

I'm not sure.

I guess I have a few thoughts - that there's always work to be done, that the idea of 'success' is up to you, that you can find 'success' (in the traditional, capitalist sense) in anything, even something as basic as making sandwiches.

And lastly, that you never know what's going to happen, but that nothing will happen unless you make it happen.


For a tad more on the Donny Deutsch program, click here
You can read the official story of Fred DeLuca here

Photos by myself, on the F train.