After a long, hard winter, spring is finally here. As the weather turns and nature reveals its beauty once again, it is no wonder that everywhere we turn we hear someone talking about spring as a season of renewal. Such conversations often turn to topics of renewed focus or renewed effort on our parts.
Woody Allen once famously said that "80% of success in life is just showing up." That may indeed be true. But what I think is also true is that success more often than not depends on not quitting. Of course it is important to set a worthy goal, then to take action in pursuit of that goal by showing up and working hard, but persistence and perseverance should never be underestimated.
So whether we want to talk about this season as one of renewal or a season of persistence and perseverance, I think we will all be well served if we keep our eyes on the goal, work hard and work together, and don't quit until we have achieved our goals.
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Sincerely, 
Charles A. Archer
Founder and CEO |
Only days ago we had the privilege to watch people finish the Boston Marathon who were unable to finish last year because of cowardly acts of terrorism. These individuals came back this year to finish what they set out to do in Spring 2013. Several stories in particular stand out.
The bombings at the Boston Marathon one year ago left four people dead and 264 seriously injured. Two of the injured were Rebekah Gregory and PeteDiMartino. The couple didn't just survive, but they showed up' back at the race again this year...this time as newlyweds. Not only did they show us the perseverance pays; they reminded us that love trumps hate.
We also pay particular tribute to the six nurses from Massachusetts General Hospital who lastyear attended to the injured and this year ran the marathon with them. They were proof that Boston remains strong and that unwavering commitment is what makes them so successful. See: http://www.massgeneral.org/about/newsarticle.aspx?id=4634ABC.
We can all take a page from their book. We salute them and we can honor them by trying to be more like them. And for their resilience and perservance, we name The Nurses of Massachusetts General Hospital, Rebekah Gregory and Pete DiMartino the April Paddlers of the Month.
With so much left to do, let's all keep on paddling.
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