Prince

“Can you make it rain harder?”

That was Prince’s answer just hours before his iconic 2007 Super Bowl halftime show in Miami, when producers nervously called to warn him about a torrential downpour.

Instead of cancelling, worrying about the danger, or panicking, he welcomed the storm and used it to deliver a legendary performance of “Purple Rain”. He took a problem and turned it into something beautiful.

If you haven’t seen it, you really should.

There is a saying in architecture and construction that goes something like this: every problem is a design opportunity. You would be surprised by how much the final design of a building is shaped by the difficulties and challenges it had to overcome in order to exist. Many of the greatest architectural works in history were created under constraints that defined their final form and, without them, might never have achieved excellence.

And I believe the same is true for people and for companies.

We grow through problems, through the obstacles we overcome, and through the difficulties that force us to adapt.

Those circumstances are what shape who we become. They are what separate those who keep fighting from those who give up.

You may end up with scars. Some decisions, mistakes, or blows from life may leave marks you wish you didn’t have. You may even get things wrong.

But those marks tell a story.

They are proof that you were there. That you endured, fought, learned, and kept moving forward.

This illustration is my small tribute to that epic moment Prince created. It is for him, but it is also for everyone who keeps moving forward when the rain starts to fall.

Because sometimes the rain doesn’t ruin the performance.

Sometimes it is exactly what makes it unforgettable.