Ever since I can remember, a family of beavers has created chaos on my parent’s farm up in New Hampshire.
A creek runs through a rolling pasture and into the woods just south of our large stone farmhouse. And just about every year, a family of beavers builds a dam at the skinniest point in the creek that floods several acres of land.
The Clarks have waged a battle against the dam for generations. Some of my first memories involve trudging down to the creek in the pre-dawn hours armed with nothing more than a large walking stick.
Every morning, we would bust up the dam and declare victory. And by nightfall, the beavers would rebuild the dam stronger than ever. It was like Sisyphus pushing the rock up the hill. And so went the battle.
This past week, I engaged in the latest edition of our duel against the dam. Only this time, the beavers had stepped up their game. The dam was at least twenty feet across and well-fortified with large branches and packed-in mud and leaves.
I pulled the large branches off first but no water made it through. Then I attacked the leaves and mud and made slight progress. But after nearly an hour of work, the dam was intact and only a trickle of water was making it to the other side.
Then I started methodically removing the little branches which weaved throughout expanse of the dam. Suddenly a torrent of water burst through the wall. Within minutes, the entire dam was destroyed and the water was flowing like a Class 5 rapid. Success!
It wasn’t the large logs and tree trunks that held the dam together. It wasn’t the ingenius packing of the mud and leaves. It was the little, skinny branches that held everything together.
And isn’t that true in our work and personal lives?
Focus on the Little Branches
In our work lives, it is important to have the big, obvious things covered. Our major clients. Our air-tight business plan. Our gifted students. Our star athletes.
But we will never be truly successful without making sure we have all the little, subtler things in place.
For every large client, there are a dozen or so smaller clients who are critical to our success. When we start losing them, our foundation crumbles.
We may have the best business plan in the world, but without the our trusted employees to execute, we will never get the business off the ground.
We may have a few stellar students in the class, but our success will be measured by the number of struggling students we inspire and motivate.
We may coach a few star athletes. But our team will only thrive if we can encourage the less-talented players to improve and buy into the program.
The big branches are important. The little branches are essential.
Appreciation Holds the Dam Together
The same is true in our personal lives. It’s all about the little things.
We have our friends, our spouse, our family. Nothing is more important than these relationships. We are lost without them.
But how often do we take a moment to express how much our loved ones mean to us? How often do we support them in their time of need? How many times do we put their best interests above our own?
If we want to keep the water back, we need to pay attention to the little things. We need understand their pain points. We need to be a positive source of light in their darkest moments. We need to tell them how much we appreciate all they have done for us.
We need to cherish these relationships and never take them for granted.
It is not always obvious. But that is the glue that will keep the dam together. The larger branches don’t stay together without the smaller branches of appreciation.
We Can Always Rebuild
But what happens when the dam breaks. What happens when the little branches are pulled away?
We all face moments when we take someone for granted. We all face loss. A smaller client. A key employee. A marginal student or player. Even a close friend or family member. When we let them down, the pain is real. It is devastating to feel the water coursing over our beleaguered lives.
But we can never lose hope. It is never too late. Resilience is all about rebuilding. Just as the beavers rebuilt the dam every evening, so too can we repair and rebuild our own damaged relationships.
As long as we are willing to work hard through the night, the morning will bring a new structure with a steady foundation. And it will be stronger than ever.
The little branches in the beaver dam make all the difference. Stay focused and stay resilient.
Until next week, keep smiling.