This past fall I visited a beautiful little B&B/vineyard in Monferrato.  Charming, picturesque, and built on lovely terrain filled with walks and views, and hosted by such exquisite people.  As my husband and I were walking around, a little hidden from the main walk, we saw a large ditch.  When I asked our hosts what that ditch was, one of them responded that their dream was to put in an ecological swimming pool – it would be a great addition to their property and attract more visitors.  But, as with many dreams, practicalities can get in the way.  In this case, mainly budget issues. How to afford this? 

What hit me, however, was their attitude.  Very cheerfully, they explained that they were waiting for the day they could afford it, but in the meanwhile, they said with huge smiles, they would keep on “praying and digging”.

This resonated so much with me as a fundamental truth: the dual importance of being clear about and committed to vision and having an outsize hope and faith in it AND the value of turning up and doing the work even when the outcome you want seems far away.  It’s the dedication to the process and a steadfast commitment to one’s vision that sets the stage for long-term success, even when the road to get there is not quite clear.

A couple of things struck me:

• The optimism and focus, coupled with sense of unbridled joy, with which these folks were digging away in the hot sun that touched me.  They were just going about doing the messy and difficult work of digging completely at peace.
• The reminder that the road to success is seldom a straight line, even in a world where instant gratification is king.  It reminded me of Brenee Brown and her work on vulnerability — trusting the process, showing up and doing the work, even when it feels uncomfortable or uncertain or the way seems invisible, but nourished by faith. 
• The inner discipline required to balance this duality of having a bigger picture, working towards it and still letting go the need to see every step, believing that the path will appear. 
  
  

Bruce Springsteen sings

“Out here the days are long and the nights are lonely… I’m working on a dream”.  

This is a mindset – the resilience to put in work even as we weather bouts of uncertainty, both internally and externally.  To stay inspired and committed even through the seemingly invisible results – this is the real work we each have to learn to keep steady as individuals and as organizations. 

As leaders of people, especially in times of global trauma, this ability to see the future that is possible and manage the everyday mundane mess in a hopeful inspirational way, is a critical skill.

We probably all need to get better at praying and digging.