I really love this diagram.
Building a business is challenging. Work in general is challenging. There are so many ups and downs. I’ve really come to value the perspective of time as a way to calibrate the highs and lows.
Events that feel really big today, will feel less so next week, and you probably won’t remember next year.
Let’s say you’re dealing with a particularly challenging event. You lost a key new sales deal you were banking on. You found out you aren’t ready for the promotion you really want (yet). You get into an argument with your boss or a colleague. Your top pick for a hiring candidate says no to your job offer. It probably feels like shit in the moment. But it won’t feel so bad next week. And you may not even remember it next year.
Interestingly, I find this applies equally to positive events. Let’s say you successfully deployed a tremendous new product release. You won a major new client. You got the promotion. You fixed that really tricky and complicated bug. That feeling can be absolutely fantastic. It will feel less so next week. You may not remember it next year.
It’s relieving to know the highs and lows are always less high and less low over time.