[We sent this in our newsletter today, thought it was worthy of sharing here as well]
Is summer in full swing already? Well yes it is and I am glad for it! We’ve waited through a long, cold winter for the sweet sunshine to show itself and for some vacation opportunities. Twelve long months of work have been accomplished to get to two weeks of vacation. But this has me thinking, are you living for those two weeks of vacation or are you finding meaning in your work all year? Have you ever asked yourself that question?
Recently, two events took place, one I was able to participate in, (3 times) and one I watched from afar, that truly demonstrated how important the work is that we do. If you’ve been following our Twitter or Facebook feed, you’ve read about our trips to Oklahoma. On May 20, 2013 several tornadoes ripped through the Moore and OKC areas, leaving devastation behind. My family and I, along with more than 30 others (2 different states, 4 different churches), spent three weeks over the last 7 months helping families rebuild their homes and their lives. Those experiences were so amazing; we’ll be going back several more times until the job is done.
The other event hit close to home as well. Last month, Coldwater Creek, where I truly cut my teeth in this industry, filed for bankruptcy and announced they are shutting their doors. Not restructuring, not selling, simply closing and ceasing operations. In fact June 11th was their final day. More than 500 people in our community were notified they would be out of work and would need to start over. That is going to be difficult in a town of 7,300 where the biggest employer now is the city.
“Thanks for story time Jamie, but what’s the point?” The point is, our work and your work matters. The work that we do, and the work many of us do together, is more than selling shoes, t-shirts, dresses, watches, cloud storage, and mini skirts. It’s about providing for ourselves so we may in turn help others in need, whether it is in Coeur d’Alene Idaho, Oso Washington, or Carney Oklahoma. The work that we do, and you do, help to keep yourself employed and helps others retain their jobs and feed their families, experience amazing career opportunities, and find fulfillment in their work.
So today, when you sit down to read another email, plan a merchandise calendar, work on new feature sets for next year’s product, remember that there is more honor in the work that you do then simply selling another widget. So much more…
