Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
Helen Keller
1880 – 1968
I quit watching most TV long ago, but I can distinctly remember catching part of the Oscar Awards a few years back. In particular, I found one actor a bit boring as he droned on and on acknowledging the many people who he felt had a hand in his win. At the time, I thought he was overdoing it a bit.
More recently, I was picking up lunch from a fast food restaurant and I happened to observe a young mom as she tried to simultaneously eat her lunch and feed her toddler. The youngster kept fighting her efforts to help; he wanted to do it all himself. The mother glanced away for a second and the toddler spilled his drink into his lunch — but he did it all by himself.
As I watched the youngster trying to establish his independence, I had a flashback to the actor thanking everyone who’d had the remotest contact with him. What a difference in attitude!
As children, it’s quite natural for us to want to establish our independence. And there are certain areas in life where we need to be self-sufficient: eating and dressing come to mind. But there’s no such thing as a self-made man or woman. Success is not a solo activity. Yet I see too many people who are like that child: they try to go it alone.
Stop and think about it. We can easily mess things up all by ourselves, but to accomplish most things in life, we need the cooperation and collaboration of others. The actor I found boring had it right: we don’t achieve success alone.
If you truly want to succeed in life, don’t be like that child. You’ll need help, so pick your friends, mentors and relationships wisely. The better your supporting cast, the easier it is for you to win the game of life.
Teamwork is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.
Andrew Carnegie
1835 – 1919
Copyright © 2023 John Chancellor