Storybank

18 Mar 2025

Mindfulness

The plane was quietly landing. On the table lay a signed contract from one of the key clients of the competitors. The deal lasted six months and was almost cancelled the day before signing. The team saved the situation. Rita sat and silently watched the monitor screen. Today was not a day for numbers. Images of yesterday flashed through her mind. A large table in a blue office. White Scandinavian-style furniture. Coffee that hadn’t had time to cool and a pretty secretary who didn’t intend to spend all Sunday in the office making corrections to the contract. The negotiations lasted 5 hours. Rita tensed a little, remembering herself sitting at the large white table. The parties could not agree on three main points, and several disagreements were discovered right during the meeting. The consultants were not happy with their absence from the preliminary agenda. They surrounded James and insisted in three voices on either immediate corrections or postponing the project by another quarter. Oh, yes – typical corporate practice. For those who did not agree, the waiting time doubles, and the agreed cost is completely revised with the participation of third parties. A large table, a thick contract, and a clear desire to conduct a couple more rounds of negotiations with competitors, either with pressure on price, deadlines, or cloud capabilities. This is exactly what Rita was counting on. She didn’t just spend the morning with the contract, she thoroughly prepared for each point. She studied the best cases of past years, double-checked possible future projects, and knew exactly where the company held strong positions and was not particularly interested in any innovations from newcomers, and where there were problems that should be solved and not openly discussed. A strong position of a strong side. The attempt at empathy fell apart in the first minutes of the discussion. But the language of numbers helped first attract attention and later replace emotions with logic. At that moment, she regretted that the best analyst from her project was not with her. The table shook a little from the audacity of the participants. One set of numbers replaced another, – it was a bit like a red sports car in the middle of the road, which can go on green but stands on red right in the middle of the intersection. The wheels are big enough and their friction against the asphalt attracts attention. The traffic light is already green, the gas and brake pedals are pressed simultaneously, – everything is ready, – but the parties stubbornly do not accept the last three lines to stop looking each other in the eye and start moving. She remembered James’s deep brown eyes for a long time. A confident look, close attention to detail, lack of pomp, and absolute control of the situation. Rita understood that in this big game there was no room for major deviations and serious changes to the planned scenario.

The road back took a little longer. The plane circled over the airfield and could not get permission to land. The contract already took its honourable place in the portfolio, the laptop was discharged, and the coffee completely cooled down. A strong jolt, then another, and again the ground. Fresh air hit her face. The phone rang. Rita pressed reject. A minute for herself. A moment to enjoy the moment of quality work done. A new start and a new project. Fresh air again. Clean, when you breathe and want to breathe more. A moment of a gift from the universe. Time just for herself. Rita sent the driver to the office, called the assistant, and gave the necessary instructions on what and to whom to write on her behalf. She took off her jacket, and let down her hair. The road began to slowly wind through the green forest. Rita got out of the car and took off her shoes. Complete unity with nature. The green grass gently tickled her feet, the shade of the large oak hid the sun and created a clear cosiness in a deserted place. The phone rang again. She pressed reject again. The sun climbed higher and higher, the dawn gained its strength, and Rita felt the morning. The morning of a new day. The morning of new opportunities. She turned off the phone, got into the car, and allowed herself to make a morning race in the fifth lane with half-awake drivers. Energy returned to her empty body. Breathing became easier. She regained her tone. Another 5 minutes of relaxation and familiar office surroundings appeared in the distance. Well, it means today is not the time to sleep yet. She wiped her eyes, remembering the two hours of sleep on the plane all night, looked at the sun again, and got out of the car. In her hands – cold coffee and a laptop. Everything is fine, it’s time to start.

Story 2

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Story 3

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