“ WE ARE A STRONG , COHESIVE , AND TENACIOUS GROUP THAT SUPPORTS THE STRUCTURAL STEEL INDUSTRY — AND EACH OTHER — LIKE NOWHERE ELSE .”
am a bookie . No , not that kind of bookie but someone who loves books . On any given day , I will have at least four or five books ( or more !) that I am currently reading , and I can dive into any of them and fall right back into where I left off . ( To be honest , I think I have more like 10 or 12 on the go !) I can travel to so many places and meet so many people in books , but most importantly , I find I discover a little bit more about myself with each page , each chapter , and each book . Why is that ? In a wonderful personal essay , Simran Singh explains how “ you never simply read a book : you read yourself through the book , to either control or discover yourself .” 1 How does this apply to my role as President of Steel Plus Network ? I suppose it is a way to constantly evolve and discover my talents , abilities , and style in my day-to-day actions and how that affects the organization as a whole . By reading , I discover new ways of doing things , new ways to promote , create , market , organize , communicate , or change . This allows me to see the organization through a continually changing lens , a lens that changes with the tides of business .
The beauty of Steel Plus Network is its members and their ability to grow and change right alongside us . Their openness to opportunity is something that I count myself very lucky to have , because without an open mind or a willingness to embrace change , it would be a very sad and lonely place . But , just like reading a book , we travel to new and exciting destinations , we meet fabulous and engaging people , and we grow and discover ourselves together . We are not just another brick in the wall , like Pink Floyd ’ s famous song . We are a strong , cohesive , and tenacious group that supports the structural steel industry — and each other — like nowhere else .
I discovered a new phrase recently that blew my mind . In the Introduction of Jay Shetty ’ s Think Like a Monk , he writes , “ If you want a new idea , read an old book .” 2 How profound ! There is no such thing as an original idea . New ideas are built on old ideas . It is part of our collective consciousness , is it not ? Someone sees something they like but want to improve upon it . It is not an original idea . They are building on the old to create something new . Just like I am doing with Steel Plus Network , which has evolved since its inception in 1995 as a detailing company . Now , we are a collective group of structural steel fabricators and suppliers who support each other , earn rebates on purchases , earn higher sales volumes , and network to learn new ways of doing business or new technologies . Reading gives you power to create and discover . What you do with that creation or that discovery can only be written by you . +
1 . Singh , S . ( 2018 , April 6 ). How Reading Is a Journey of Self-Discovery . Letterpile . https :// letterpile . com / personal-essays / How-Readingis-a-Journey-of-Self-Discovery .
2 . Shetty , J . ( 2020 ). Think Like a Monk . Simon & Shuster . p . ix .
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