A sad Thanksgiving weekend
Despite the long weekend up in Canada, it wasn't the most pleasant...
Happy Tuesday folks,
A day late on the usual weekly email due to Thanksgiving weekend up here in Canada. I certainly gave extra thanks for your patience…
Let’s jump in:
Story: A sad series of world events
Honestly, a bit of a sour few days. I try to keep politics, world events and news out of my more business-centric content, but it was hard to ignore what happened in Israel over the weekend.
As a Jewish person and someone who has visited Israel, it’s hard to imagine what happened and what the family/friends of the victims and hostages are going through.
Ironically I posted just 5 days ago on LinkedIn, sharing the story of how I recently received Austrian citizenship due to my Jewish heritage, so this was all more top-of-mind than usual.
The cherry on top? I caught a cold… but that was the least of my concerns given the circumstances (seems something is going around right now anyway).
It’s certainly been a rollercoaster over the last 3+ years for everyone, all around the world. And the craziness doesn’t seem to be subsiding either. I’m not really sure what to think about it, and I’m not sure we need to think anything concrete.
The world is simply a crazy place right now and we need to be able to navigate it. To play the cards we’re dealt. To support those who may need it. To try and be a good person, and make the world just a little bit better in the time we’re given.
What else is there to do?
Hard to say, but it’s weekends like these that certainly put things in perspective too. We might have a tough day or week, or maybe you don’t close a deal you really wanted to, or maybe it’s been a tough few months in the entrepreneurial grind.
But if you’re living, breathing, healthy and your friends/family are safe, maybe that’s enough?
Key takeaway: Appreciate what you’ve got
Perspective is so important, and mine was certainly re-adjusted over the weekend. Ironically, on Thanksgiving weekend.
I’ve been building businesses for the last 7+ years, of different shapes and sizes, and there is no shortage of ups and downs. But overall, with hard work and dedication, a few more ups than downs.
Don’t lose sight of that, and also don’t lose sight of everything else you might have in life.
After all, life is more than just the net income amount at the end of the fiscal year. If you’re like me you live a pretty privileged life with food, clean water, a comfy mattress and very little worry over safety and security.
Don’t forget that in some parts of the world, that doesn’t exist. Harsh, perhaps, but grounding as well.
Content for the week:
As usual, you can catch my weekly vlog on Youtube if you like to see/hear me go into some more details about my week:
I’m also more than halfway through No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention by Erin Meyer and Reed Hastings (the cofounder/CEO of Netflix). I’ll save my full review for when I’m done, but wow - this is a great read and something that everyone who runs a company with employees should read in my opinion.
That’s it for this week, and here’s to hoping for a slightly more positive one in the week ahead.
Thanks as always for following along on my journey and have a great week,
- Josh Schachnow
Canadian immigration lawyer, CEO at Visto.ai
If you’re looking for more of my help, you can check out:
My immigration tech platform, Visto, that helps Canadian immigration firms prep and file applications much quicker.
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