Make Their Pain Go Away

when I was in maybe 5th grade, I got my annual class picture taken.

it was the worst picture ever. I had the WORST HAIR. The WORST TEETH. I had a HUGE SCAB ON MY NOSE, FOR FUCK SAKE!!!

the photog should have been drummed out of the business for taking the goddamn thing

(I won't even bring up the sweater I was wearing...)

I'm still raw from that shit 40 years later.

here's the thing...

at the time, that picture was THE WORST FUCKING THING THAT HAD EVER HAPPENED TO ME AND I WOULD HAVE TRADED EVERY LEGO I HAD TO MAKE IT GO AWAY

it was a silly problem that could have driven me to homicide or suicide

but no matter what age you are, your biggest problem is the BIGGEST PROBLEM OF YOUR LIFE

in retrospect, it's stupid

at the time, it's everything

you have no perspective in the moment

I could give you a half dozen similarly epic issues that I've gone through over the years that I look back on and laugh

but I wasn't laughing at the time

far from it

as consultants, we are the future person

we can laugh at these "silly" problems. maybe even not take them seriously. Or hell, maybe not even notice them.

but the younger us is in real pain. REAL pain. that's where our clients are.

make their pain go away.