Yes. It Can Be Done

Today is a state holiday in California. It is Cesar Chavez Day, and March 31 was his birthday. Chavez was a great American of Mexican descent, a champion of the working man and woman.

One of the first things my company does after hiring an employee is to sit him down in our break room and have him view several videos. Be safe. Lift with your knees, not your back. Don't steal. Report people who are stealing. Things like that. One of the movies is a very poorly done film cautioning against the evils of unions. It doesn't come right out and say don't join a union, organize a union, sign anything that might indicate you might be interested in a union, or even think about it, but that is clearly the tone. We don't have a union. Our starting employees earn the California minimum wage; $8 an hour.

Cesar Chavez was kind of a big deal, the sort of man who knew he could make a difference in the world. And so he did. His motto was, "Si, se puede," strictly translated "Yes. One can." A more accurate English meaning of what he believed is, "Yes. It can be done."

Whether organizing farm workers, or making changes in our personal lives, we must first believe it can be done. If we don't think we can do it, we can't. And if we think we can, we are more than halfway there.

Susan