Turning Short-Term Frustrations into Long-Term Wins

The annual Hallett tradition, on the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving, of putting up the outdoor Christmas lights, happened again this year. And like the actual tradition of putting them up, there’s also the tradition of my wife’s very supportive help...yet strong verbal comments around being cold while helping. After 20+ years, I’ve come to expect it considering she grew up in Louisiana. This year, it actually took two days to get the Christmas lights up and my dear wife couldn’t have been more helpful but made her feelings known regarding being cold.

To be candid, it’s not one of my favorite activities either. Testing all the lights, noting which ones are bad, having to go to the store to replace them, laying out all of the electrical extension cords, getting the timers correct, and actually putting up more than 5,000 lights is a bit of an undertaking.

So why do I do it?

When it gets dark earlier, and I get home shortly before dinner, I find a great deal of joy in pulling into my driveway and seeing all the lights on to celebrate the holidays. Normally, between work and other family activities, that’s six days a week for six weeks of seeing my home decorated and lit up for the season.

For me, putting up Christmas lights is a lot like a professional life. While the short-term pain is more than one really wants, the long-term gain is significant. Those two afternoons spent putting up the lights give me, and the entire family, many smiles around Christmas time. The same is true for the monotonous, yet important, daily activities in one’s professional life.. and normally, short-term investments of effort will pay off over the long term in great achievement and growth.

We live in an age of instant gratification. And yet I truly believe that the ability to set long-term goals with intermediate steps is still a proven winner. Each year, my Christmas lights remind me of that value.