Guess what?

I’ve always been wrong. I used to consider the Fox a loser, a victim of circumstances. But the Fox taught me a lesson: sometimes, defining a good excuse helps you move forward. You can’t change immature grapes.

Were the Grapes Sour, Fox?

It’s a hot summer, and golden fields of wheat are all around. In the distance, I spot a vine. My throat is parched, so I sneak through the wheat stalks. As I pass, the crackling sound of a rattle startles me. Maybe I’m mistaken; maybe it’s a snake that will capture me. I quicken my pace, ignoring the scratches left by the dry wheat exposed to long days of relentless sun.

As I emerge from the field, I feel serene, but it’s only a moment before my mind returns to a juicy, hungry instinct. I feel my heart race, my stomach growl, and I look at leaves showing the first signs of burning. Summer is ending. The grains are large and inviting. I hope those cursed farmers have yet to replace them with poisonous products. After all, I don’t have the hands to pick and wash them.

​

I approach closer, and as I’m underneath, I realize that… it can’t be: my usual bad luck… I stretch, yet I can’t reach the lowest grape. Hmm, let me think. Drooping branches? Nothing. Oh, how well-tended the vineyard is. Cursed farmers, why don’t they get drunk at the bar instead of being so diligent?

Indeed, it’s boiling. I need to rest. Actually, you know what? These grapes don’t convince me. Raven, what are you looking at? Ah, if only I had your wings, then I’d know what to do.

But no, it doesn’t make sense, this grape is sour. Let’s look for something else.

I’ve lived a week full of insights and encounters. Ever since I abandoned myself to deliberate networking, I can’t stop meeting people and putting my ideas in the pruning shears of others. If humans are always ready to criticize, exploiting it is crucial. Clarity and growth come from criticism.

But in this clarity, we often deceive ourselves. Rather than evaluating things from another perspective, we tend to devalue what we can’t achieve. It’s not about envying others’ success, or rather, not just that. It’s about giving up on finding a solution. We deceive ourselves, we settle.

The story of the fox tells us and engrains in our heads the idea that the fox fails in what it could have indeed achieved, and not being able to, lacking resilience, lacking sufficient will, inevitably returns home with an empty stomach.

So, the fox begins to blame the circumstances. This mechanism of self-deception is a valuable defense. The fox doesn’t want to feel incapable and convinces itself that the grapes are sour. But what if this were a power?

Staying in situations we can’t change is only sometimes helpful. And stoically enduring doesn’t always make us better. There’s a limit, and this limit isn’t given. Devoting a life to suffering pressure, adapting to others’ behaviors, and chasing an unattainable dream wastes time. If we don’t learn the lessons or move forward, we’re just wasting our time, which marches on relentlessly like a door closing as you stand sweating on the platform with that heavy bag cutting into your shoulders.

The fox deceives itself, but in this deception, it processes its grief and can move on.

I’ve seen others do it, immediately countered by the inconsistent formulation of hope for future days.

Here’s where the mistake manifests. Not analyzing the past with Sherlock’s lens is also a way to avoid being sunk by disastrous events. But doing so while thinking that the future will magically sort itself out because it’s far off in time turns into a bomb.

This week, I’ve learned that grapes are sour. I need to build a system to help me satisfy my hunger every day because it’s solely my responsibility if I don’t manage to pick one and verify how immature it is.

If you have doubts about how to do it, I’m here to help. I help people understand their mission, why it’s worth it, and how to commit to reaching it beyond every challenge. I also help companies take a leap and focus on their next project.

Choosing which grapes to eat without complaining about the circumstances helps you grow. And it helps organizations scale as a result of pursuing a mission.

This piece was originally published for my website here.

New blossoms

Here are some quick updates from me:

• I met Nicolò Lovat at an event in Treviso, organized by Adhoc Group. Nicolò Lovat is a bookseller and entrepreneur in a family business for 3 generations. He spoke to us about how the time dedicated to reading is not limited to advantages in the personal sphere but also influences company growth, especially when it generates meetings, discussion, and sharing. Nicolò reads a lot, he reads unknown texts. And what does he get in return? A vocabulary that sounds. While he spoke I was fascinated by the variety of terms and the simplicity with which they captured me, like an enchanting flute. He reminded me a lot of what Ryan Holiday managed to create as a movement from his Painted Porch. Well done, Nicolò.
• I was a spectator at Talentis, a course for Startups organized by Confindustria with Young Entrepreneurs, of which I am part. Hearing the stories of companies that are starting up caused a movement in me. Actually, two: the crazy desire to contribute and the awareness that many people are trying to emerge and chase beautiful dreams.
• I visited Cibus, a fair on the Italian food world in Parma. Fascinating experience, Italy is full of excellence, companies and gives its best in food. I saw smiling, generous people and a great desire to give joy and colour.

​

Something worth sharing from the contents I consumed:

• “Things are not asking to be judged by you,” Marcus Aurelius writes in his Meditations . “Remember, you always have the power to have no opinion,” he says." – This quote is from Ryan Holiday, and in this newsletter, he is referring to parenting. Being a parent requires self-discipline and making tough choices. Prioritizing time with your children over other commitments takes constant effort. Setting boundaries and practicing restraint help you be the parent you want to be. No You Can’t Have It All (Especially as a Parent)​
• "If you have great individual results, but you are undermining the people around you, by definition, you are not a high performer in a collaborative organization." - This quote is an excerpt from a beautiful conversation between Brené Brown, Adam Grant, and Simon Sinek on What's Happening at Work. Actually, it's from Adam Grant, and it made me think about how to improve my impact on organizations and how important it is to focus leadership on how many people one can engage in the same direction.

​

That's it!

Tell me if something stood out to you.

I'm curious about everything, for example:

• good leadership
• beautiful things that happened
• healthy productivity tricks
• parenting suggestions
• discoveries that would change the world
• unknown facts about you that everyone should know about

See you next week,

Matteo