Consistency

Rain. Dreariness, but mostly rain. This is how the first day of 2021 greeted me. I thought why couldn’t it be a beam of sunshine to transition away from 2020, the year of sorrow, the year of cruelty, the year of what might have been? But I thought more deeply - it is right that 2021 begins with this steady and sometimes hard rain to wash away the grittiness and grime that built upon our lives in this past year of isolation and grief, to expose something more hopeful, the hard rock of our human character.

But wait, you ask, What about your Word for the Year? What is the Word for 2021? Those who follow my posts know that rather than a resolution I identify a word to lead me into the new year. For 2020, it was Humility (if I had only known how deep this one would hit), for 2019 it was Courage, and for 2018 it was Discipline. As I identified these words, I would come to realize these would become the foundation, the nucleus, for building Underhill Engineering. So, at the end of 2020, I contemplated, How could I add to these three essential words? How could I even identify a word in these times?

It would be Nelson Mandela who had the answer: “Those who conduct themselves with morality, integrity, and consistency need not fear the forces of inhumanity and cruelty.” I realized the man who embodied the traits of Courage, Discipline, and Humility, the man who served 27 years in jail at the brutal Robben Island Prison while fighting the injustices of apartheid, was telling me not to be deterred in these times - that I should remain consistent to my values, to my vision, and yes to my dreams.

How to do this?

• Through the consistency of self-discipline, setting aside time for what truly matters in our lives: our families; our friends; and not to be forgotten, our own wellbeing.
• Through the consistency of empowering Underhill’s employees, our greatest assets, as we execute the firm's vision without distraction even in these tough times.
• Through the consistency of financial discipline to not only weather the bumps along the way but build the firm's assets to accomplish our objectives and dreams.
• Through the consistency of following our mission, advocating for our clients, guiding their project’s success as we build those strong bonds of friendship and goodwill.

The rain has stopped, the darkness abated, I can see light.