The Engineer's Note

The bathtub dilemma lesson? While working as consultants on a road construction project the Resident Engineer and I paired up to travel to Addis Ababa for some time off. As we drove along the long road our boss proudly began telling us about a personal achievement he had built a new house and installed a bathtub in it.​When we arrived in Addis Ababa the project driver dropped off our boss at his home first and then continued on to take the rest of us to our respective homes. Shortly after I arrived home, my boss called. Feeling confused and somewhat disappointed, he asked us, “How could you leave without even seeing the house and the bathtub?”​My colleague couldn't hold back and casually replied, “Boss, in the era of Jacuzzis, are you really telling us to come see a bathtub?”​Although we all laughed at the time that short joke left me with a profound life lesson:​The achievements and victories we record in our lives carry their greatest emotional value to ourselves alone. What looks like a massive mountain to you might just be something ordinary to someone else.​Seeking admiration and recognition from others for our personal successes often leads to unnecessary disappointment. Celebrate your progress for the sake of your own happiness rather than waiting for other people’s applause.​In a world that is constantly racing toward the next best thing (toward the "Jacuzzi"), measure your growth on your own scale. If you know where you started and how far you have come, even a simple bathtub is a grand symbol of victory.​ Addis T.