I had a really hard year back in 2017.
It was filled with the loss of close family which left a lingering mark on both my personal and professional lives. The couple years that followed saw my business falling apart and then a promising new job ending with a layoff.
And by the end of 2019, the mix of depression, uncertainty, anxiety, and entrepreneurship had darkened my outlook on life and spiked my cynicism.
I shared my troubles with a mentor, who sent me a framed inside joke. And stuck to the back of the frame, written in type, were these words…
“What you do is important.”
I know for many of you, 2021 was a shitty year.
Undoubtedly, some of you have lost close family or friends. Our daily lives have been flipped upside down with a massive jolt of change. We see constant reminders of unjust and unfair systems still thriving in our contemporary society.
The hope and optimism surrounding the vaccines has soured a bit with every new variant. And then there is the significantly large anti-vax movement.
The beginning of the pandemic was hard, but this sustained social anxiety and trauma wears on the soul.
It’s okay…
- if you haven’t accomplished what you wanted to accomplish this past year.
- if you have no clue what your plan should be for next year.
- if you don’t know who you’re supposed to be.
- if you feel stuck.
- if you feel lost.
Tomorrow is a new day.
And if tomorrow doesn’t work out, well, there will be another.
I never cease to be amazed that there are people who read this blog. People who appreciate the cartoons that I draw. People who share what I write with their friends and colleagues.
And when I start to feel lost, I think about all of you.
Because you care.
It’s why you’re here. It’s why you can appreciate and share my cartoons.
Most of your audiences are not demanding cartoons from your presentations or better charts from your reports. They’re not looking to you to provide them with more engagement.
But it’s not enough for you to just present or report. To just show up at 9 and then leave at 5 (metaphorically speaking). You believe in your work, and you want your audience to be engaged.
You want your work to have an impact. To change the way your audience thinks or acts based on your collected evidence.
So you put in the work to try to make that happen.
Evidence is insufficient.
It’s not enough to just know something to be true if you can’t convince anyone else to hear what you say or trust what you share. Especially if the evidence you are sharing is counter to your audience’s beliefs. Just think about all the ways you can finish this sentence.
Despite ample evidence to the contrary…
- many republican politicians continue to claim that the 2020 election was stolen.
- global warming is seen by large sectors of the population as not a man-made problem.
- many Americans hold onto the fictional historical perspectives they learned in grade school.
- some communities hit hard by COVID-19 continue to downplay the virus and refuse even the most basic precautions.
While evidence is insufficient, it is indeed necessary.
We can’t change this world for the better without it. We need you to engage, collect, analyze, and support our communities, programs, and changemakers.
Our role as data people and evaluators can sometimes be thankless, lonely, and frustrating. Our best work is not always celebrated. Our audiences can be hard to engage.
But whatever happens in this new year. Don’t stop trying.
That’s the only way to fail completely.
I believe in you.
What you do is important.
Till next year,
Chris.
Thanks Chris, kind words and insights for the end of year. Much appreciation to you for your continued work.
And much appreciation to you Cheryl for leaving such a nice comment 🙂
Thanks for this and for all of your work/heart/humor, Chris! I use your cartoons ALL of the time (with credit/acknowledgment) in presentations and discussions and they are always a hit. As an evaluator and evaluation coach who can’t live without humor, your work has enriched my life so much, and has made our field more joyful. Happy New Year!
Thank you Rachel, that means a lot 🙂
Thanks, Chris. You’re right, it can be like yelling into the wind sometimes, but what we do is important. Thank you for this recognition. I love your cartoons and I share them with my coworkers frequently!
Thank you Tracy! Also, yelling into the wind is a pretty powerful metaphor and needs to become a cartoon 🙂
Thank you for writing this post Chris. A simple phrase that has a powerful message. Thank you for reminding me that what I do matters every day and to keep moving forward despite the obstacles I encounter because every day is a new day and every moment is a new moment.
May 2022 to be filled with health, happiness and love for you, your family and friends.
Thank you Danielle, and may 2022 be filled with health, happiness and love for you, your family and friends as well!
Many thanks for posting – and for sharing all your insights. What you do is important to me in my work and in my teaching. I look forward to your emails and I often share your cartoon wisdom!
All the best for 2022!
Thank you Lynn, all the best to you as well!!
“So shines a good deed in a weary world.” Thanks for being a bright light in the community, Chris.
So sweet Jen. I also like the quote, which I ultimately Googled to remember where it came from 🙂
Thank you, Chris for a great message. And back at you with” What you do is important”.
I especially loved your cartoon with “Does anyone give a shit?”
Thank you Conny!
Always hold back a little from cursing in my cartoons, but that one felt right.
I needed this today, Chris. Thank you for these words- and for your continuous insights and humor.
Thank you Marcus for your kind words!
Thank you. I really needed to see/hear/read this today.
Thank you Helen for the comment 🙂
Thx for this and all your other blogs and contributions in the webs…On to 2022 together…
Thanks Sue!
Thank you. I am your cartoon fan.
Thank you Amalia 🙂
Needed to hear all of this today, Chris – thank you and best wishes.
Thank you Ann!
Thank you for this post – it lifted my soul. Your cartoons and guidance on data viz are gold, and I continue to use and promote your blog / resources to others. What you do truly is important – thank you!
Such kind words, very much appreciated Jackie!
Much appreciated, Chris, especially after a moment last night wondering whether what I do is in fact making a difference at all. You have a great knack for distilling what we do and their importance of that work – I continue to reference your “Pragmatic dreamer” often! Thanks again and look forward to seeing what you come up with this year 🙂
Thanks Brian! One thing I know for certain, you’re not the only one in the field asking yourself that question.
Thanks Chris, what a wonderful post. As discouraging as some of the things you pointed out about the state of our world these days, I continue to find it heartening that people do keep wanting to have their work evaluated because they (and/or their funders) DO believe in the importance of evidence. Keep fighting the good fight!
Thank you Lisa! And that’s a good point, there are plenty of people who keep demanding evaluation because they DO believe.
Happy new year from Aotearoa New Zealand. Your cartoons are appreciated in this part of the world, too. I’m wading through a ton of emails on my first day back at work for 2022, and am really glad I clicked on yours. It was just what I needed. Wishing you all the best for 2022.