![\"So](\"https:\/\/svapm.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/So-Small-Carrie-Underwood.jpg\")
for singing this beautiful song, it seems fitting during this holiday season to reflect upon the lyrics and apply them to our world of project management:<\/p>\nWith many thanks to Carrie Underwood for singing this beautiful song, it seems fitting during this holiday season to reflect upon the lyrics and apply them to our world of project management:<\/p>\n
What you got if you ain’t got love As project managers, many people look to us for inspiration and leadership.\u00a0 At times it seems like we\u2019re giving away so much time and energy with little coming back, especially on those \u201crainy days\u201d when so much seems to go wrong.\u00a0 We just want to chuck it all.\u00a0 Those are the times when \u201copening up\u201d and sharing our vision and passion for the project is the light that shines through.\u00a0 We cannot run away if we want to be successful.<\/p>\n [Chorus]\n‘Cause sometimes that mountain you’ve been climbing is just a grain of sand Problems have solutions.\u00a0 I learned that early in my career when troubleshooting difficult equipment problems.\u00a0 By sitting back, relaxing, and not forcing the issue, the answer I was searching for popped into my head.\u00a0 It was there all along.\u00a0 I had to be open to receiving it.\u00a0 The same applies to working with difficult people.\u00a0 When we attack issues and not people, show respect, and are patient, amazing results can happen.<\/p>\n [Verse 2]\nIt’s so easy to get lost inside I used to treat all issues equally in our systems program.\u00a0 My manager noticed that I appeared to be \u201cdrinking from a fire hose.\u201d\u00a0 Then I realized the importance of prioritization.\u00a0 Do not sweat the small things.\u00a0 Allow some issues to work themselves out on their own.\u00a0 Honor the ebb and flow of team dynamics\u2014sometimes pushing too hard stymies the natural energy that needs time to develop.\u00a0 Team discussions on issues far beyond our ability to change or control them were futile, so we tabled those discussions\u2026and kept our meetings on track.\u00a0 With a philosophy of \u201cno regrets,\u201d I can act in a way that makes each moment count, instead of acting impulsively (or not acting at all!) and wishing I could get that time back.<\/p>\n [Chorus]\nSometimes that mountain you’ve been climbing is just a grain of sand I came to realize during a stressful team meeting moment, that a year from now we would probably not remember this moment, because the issue is really not that important.\u00a0 So relax\u2026and work with the people around me in a loving way, because that is what matters, and everything else is not that important.<\/p>\n Best wishes during this holiday season and throughout the New Year.<\/p>\n
\nthe kind that you just want to give away
\nIt’s okay to open up
\ngo ahead and let the light shine through
\nI know it’s hard on a rainy day
\nyou want to shut the world out and just be left alone
\nBut don’t run out on your faith
\n<\/em><\/p>\n
\nWhat you’ve been up there searching for
\nforever is in your hands
\nWhen you figure out love is all that matters after all
\nIt sure makes everything else
\nseem so small
\n<\/em><\/p>\n
\na problem that seems so big at the time
\nit’s like a river that\u2019s so wide
\nit swallows you whole
\nWhile you sit around thinking about what you can’t change
\nand worrying about all the wrong things
\ntime’s flying by
\nmoving so fast
\nyou better make it count ’cause you can’t get it back
\n<\/em><\/p>\n
\nWhat you’ve been up there searching for
\nforever is in your hands
\nWhen you figure out love is all that matters after all
\nIt sure makes everything else
\nSeem so small
\n<\/em><\/p>\n