The Tony Awards were this week and for the musical Hadestown, it was a great night. They had fourteen nominations and won for eight of the categories! One of the award recipients was Anais Mitchell who accepted the award for Best Original Score.
Towards the end of her speech she said, “I just want to say three things I have learned working on this show for so long about trying to make a musical, that I also think are true about trying to make good change in this world.” Here are the three things…
- Nobody does it alone. I am a huge proponent in asking for help when I need it but also helping when I am asked or when I believe someone may need it. Team is one of J2’s Core Values and we are strong believers that to succeed we must work together. The phrase that follows our Team Core Value for us is “contribute and support to achieve more” because we truly believe that Together Each Achieves More. Even athletes that compete in solo sports have a team behind them.
- It takes a long time. Overnight success takes a long time and a lot of persistence. Honestly, very few things happen overnight. Most of us only see the end results not the days, weeks, months and years and hard work that go into the sudden success. Next time you meet someone that you think is an overnight success ask them how they got there.
- It is worth it. Hitting that goal after all the sweat and tears is worth it, in my opinion. The result is the prize that you should never take your eyes off. In my opinion there are very few things that compare to seeing all your hard work and dedication coming to fruition.
These three learned lessons that Mitchell mentions are great reminders not only to make a great musical but for making the most of life.
“Every great achievement is but a small peak in the mountain range of contributions.” – Dale T. Mortensen
Have a great weekend.
Vijay