Perspective

This Sunday, for the forth consecutive year, my colleagues and I at Treeline participated in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk which raises money to support Cancer Research for The Dana Farber Institute.

Seventy-five degrees and blue skies was just the right recipe to make Boston absolutely beautiful on Sunday.  As we walked down the streets of Brighton and Brookline, we were surrounded by thousands of people who were walking miles with us for the same purpose.  With each passing mile, my mind became clearer and one word continuously resounded through my mind:  perspective.

I started thinking about what perspective means to me and about it's classical definition:  "The choice of a single point of view from which to sense, categorize, measure or codify experience."

As Sales Professionals, this last year has challenged us all.  Our incomes have been hit hard, our job responsibilities have increased as our coworkers are downsized and our prospects can't buy, thus causing a perpetual cycle of down revenue and a serious need for reinvention.  So as professionals, our wills have been tested.  However this walk reminded me that….perspective is a "choice;" a decision as to what lens you chose to view your world with.As I walked, I watched little children run and play alongside their parents and loved ones–minor aspects of their appearance confirmed that these were the children we were walking for.  Their gleeful and high-pitched voices laughed and joked.  Their perspective on the world included something as challenging as being faced with a terminal disease…and those children, chose to smile.  They chose to fight. 

This walk has raised more than $600 million dollars, since its start in 1948.  More than 90 Cents per dollar is direct towards Dana-Farber's ultimate goal – finding a cure for cancer.  The effort has saved the lives of millions of children; overall cure rates for children's cancer have reached more than 75 percent.  My team's contribution is hardly a drop in the bucket, however for all those who participated; it was hard not to end the day without realizing that although we gave, we too, received the benefit of perspective.  Perspective:  an additional lens to view the world through.  So many of us witnessed real strength against adversity, far beyond a poor sales forecast.  We witnessed real strength in the smiles of children who have faced more in their short lives than many of us will face in an entire lifetime. 

We are still accepting donations, please follow this link and donate to Team Treeline.