Recently one of our algorithms showed us a video of Mike Posner (the artist known for 2010s songs “Cooler Than Me” and “I Took a Pill in Ibiza”, among others) that covered his journey over the past few years.
We hadn’t been following along while it was happening, but in 2019 he traded stadium tours for something very different. He walked ~2,800 miles across the entire US over a six-month period, climbed some of the tallest mountains in the world, and pursued experiences that don’t fit neatly into a career timeline of a musician. Apparently he also just started hiking the Continental Divide Trail this past month.
In the clip, Posner shared a Zen proverb that caught our attention:
“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.”
It’s a powerful image. Life before and after a big change looking oddly the same. You still get up, you still put in the work, you still face the small tasks that don’t care about where you’ve been or what you’ve done.
It made us reflect back to the much-discussed press conference Scottie Scheffler gave ahead of the Open Championship this year. Addressing the media, Scheffler, currently the best golfer on the planet by a wide margin, reflected on accomplishment, fulfillment, and the point of it all. From his interview:
“You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sister’s there, it’s such an amazing moment. Then it’s like, OK, what are we going to eat for dinner? Life goes on. It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes.”
There were plenty of takes on what Scheffler meant (if he even meant anything specific, or if these were just meandering thoughts after a long flight). What we took away is it’s the journey that’s the true reward.
The big moments matter. But the work doesn’t stop. The routine doesn’t vanish. And maybe, in some ways, that’s comforting. Life doesn’t suddenly become a different game just because you’ve reached a milestone.
It’s easy to see hiring and leadership as a series of finish lines: filling the role, signing the offer letter, launching the product. But zoom out, and those are just markers along the way. The real story is in what you do in between. How you keep showing up. How you keep doing the work.
Because before the win, you chop wood and carry water. And after the win, you chop wood and carry water.
Until next time,
Your Spherion South Central WI & Northern IL team