What’s on my mind? Fish hatcheries, mineral water and why doing what is good for you sometimes does not feel so good

I was seven years old, my mom was driving our white Chevy Bronco truck. We were headed to the fish hatchery just outside of our small town of Leadville, Colorado. The drive there was beautiful. Columbines were in bloom, pine trees everywhere and a distinct feel of the mountains with a stream babbling next to the road.

As we approached the fish hatchery, you’d think I would be excited to see the fish swimming in the ponds… but I wasn’t. Because we weren’t actually going to the fish hatchery, we were going right next to it. Right next to it where a natural mineral spring was.?

As we arrived, mom grabbed her water jugs and was ready to collect this super healthy mineral water. As a seven year old, it was very hard for me to see the healthy side, all I saw was gross. The dirt under the water was orange and it had a distinct smell that is impossible to compare. It was not as bad as Durian fruit - which are also good for you, and hard to believe because the smell is so so bad. The taste was, well, I’m going to say it was like licking a piece of metal. And yes, I do know what metal tastes like - as a seven year old living in the mountains with winters lasting through July, boredom sets in and kids do crazy things like dare each other to lick frozen metal poles (remember A Christmas Story movie? I can relate)! Ha ha ha!

As we gathered the water in jugs, and I desperately wished we were gathering the trout from the fishery next door instead, I realised first hand that sometimes what is good for you in the long term is hard to feel good in the short term.

I am thankful today for that mineral water, as it taught me many lessons:

• Sometimes you have to look past the easy and do what is hard - especially when the choices are right next to each other
• Sometimes it is hard to recognise the long term value of short term decisions and we have to trust and listen to data and experts to make them
• Sometimes we have to go through some short term pain for long term gain

As we look toward the summer and remainder of the year, many industries are challenged. Leaders are having to make short term decisions for long term gain.?If we look to the recent news, meta being fined $1bn+ for data protection by the EU. BT stating a reduction of 50k employees over the next few years as AI and automation come to the forefront. Cost reduction is driving most of our customer interactions and security concerns taking a close second.?

Margins are challenged as inflation and energy costs remain high. And all of this amongst a visible need to make sure our decisions are not only good for our people and portfolio but also for our planet.

I still think natural mineral water is super gross. It tastes like harsh metal, smells really weird and looks brown, and yet it delivers critical minerals we need to survive.

As we face the challenges of today to ensure our future of tomorrow, I ask you, what is your natural mineral water??Is there something you need to do today that maybe does not feel that good in the moment but will ensure your success and health in the future?

Whatever it is, be brave and drink up!