Welcome to Pecan Town
Three Boxes to Unwrap for a Better
NEW YEAR! Column by Tess Coody-Anders Photos by Lizz Daniels
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s we lower the curtain on 2021, many of us need a fresh start more than ever. Last year – with all its disruptions, losses and disappointments – made it abundantly clear that tomorrow isn’t promised. So rather than approach 2022 with an erstwhile resolution or two, now is the time to take stock and proceed with intention to shape our lives and our community. Just as downtown Seguin is moving through a visioning process, I’m imagining what I want my own future to be. In both cases, getting there won’t happen without making some hard choices. Harvard Business School professor Vijay Govindarajan offers an approach that we can use at home as well as work. His book,
“The Three Box Solution,” is based on the Hindu principles of balanced action: Vishnu, the preserver; Shiva, the destroyer; and Brahma, the creator. In Hindu scripture, no one of these is more important than the other. “It’s only through balanced action that humanity as we know it can be sustained,” he says. This means reprioritizing how we spend our time, energy and resources to support a solid foundation for today (Box 1 work), even as we create the headroom to work toward the future (Box 3 work). Importantly, this means we have to let go of people, work, behaviors, processes that aren’t helping us do either (Box 2 work):
