A Pot of Gold, A Piece of Pie

This past week marked a milestone and some change. It was our second birthday, as well as National Pi Day and Saint Patrick's Day. This made for the ultimate conundrum: do we get the perfect pie or a green drink to celebrate?

You can't have both. I mean, technically speaking, you can... but it would not make for the best combination. You can probably guess where this post is going, so I might as well out and out say it: you can have your cake and eat it too. The natural question is, when do you eat it.

This expression always made me think in a practical sense: why would you put a slice of cake in front of someone and say "you cannot eat that!" It just feels like cruel and unusual punishment. Maybe the saying should more go "you can have it, you just have to know when to have it."

Think of it in terms of a restaurant. You just gorged yourself on this meal and you want dessert, so you instinctively get it all the while knowing you are completely full. In some cases you get a to-go box for the dessert, but eat it at the table anyways.

If you have stuck with the analogy, I applaud you for not clicking off, and guess what? If you have read this far you already have the mentality for success. Because here in lies the true reward, and that is patience.

To know when to post, when to campaign, and when to completely cut your losses is half the battle. It it not just half the battle, patience is a reward in and of itself (or virtue, as the old saying goes.)

We feel so obligated to eat the pie when it comes to the table no matter how full we are, and the same goes for a business. We must see the context, the zeitgeist of not only our world, but the entire socioeconomic spectrum.

Similarly with Saint Patrick's Day, it is so important to distinguish between the trickster leprechaun and his pot of gold. It is a cautionary tale. Much like in life, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

So much in life, like the deceptive leprechaun, we will be given a seemingly easy opportunity. Do NOT take it. More often than not, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow isn't there. It is up to you to find your own pot of gold from within, and the rainbow is your self-created bridge to get there.

You can have the green food for Saint Patrick's Day, just as you can have the pie for National Pi Day, but it is important to know when to have the pie and when to have the green food. While you look for your internal pot of gold, know this: it is not strictly a monetary goal. Your pot of gold is just what you want best for your organization or yourself, and will vary with the person sitting next to you.