“Checkmate!” I remember the feeling of pride in saying the word. I started playing chess at the age of six, and by seven I competed in my first national chess championship. The thrill of victory sparked the initial desire to compete, but it’s not what kept me playing for more than 15 years. It was so much more than that.
Chess, like life, is an existential game. The lessons I learned playing chess shaped who I am today. The game taught me how to win and lose, with grace. It trained me to make rapid decisions by quickly analyzing many possible paths. It taught me how to collaborate and make connections with my fellow players that may have had very different viewpoints than mine. It helped open me up to receiving feedback and coaching and to use it to play better.
Although this was one of the best experiences of my life, there were always good days and not-so-good days. My biggest learning of all was that success is a journey and not a destination. The journey matters a lot more than the destination and the people that are in the journey with you matter a lot more than you can ever imagine. You have a choice. You can choose to love what you do and enjoy the ride.
At Talkdesk, I am very grateful to share this journey with our amazing employees. During this extremely tough year for us all, we chose to enjoy the ride. We made bold moves, delivered more products than ever before and helped more companies provide great customer experiences. We did all of this under pressure, during a global pandemic, while keeping our customers at the forefront of it all.
We’re learning along the way. And we’re enjoying the ride.
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