• Home
  • Executive Coaching
  • Unlocking Leadership
  • Who I Am
  • Blog
  • Contact

Executive Coach & Management Consultant Anthony Zolezzi

Anthony Zolezzi is an entrepreneur and CEO. He has founded and successfully sold more than a dozen companies.

T (562)
Email: anthonyzolezzi@icloud.com

Open in Google Maps
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Insights
  • A dream deferred inspires a new appreciation of the ‘unsung heroes’ among us
June 3, 2025

A dream deferred inspires a new appreciation of the ‘unsung heroes’ among us

0
Tuesday, 26 June 2012 / Published in Insights

A dream deferred inspires a new appreciation of the ‘unsung heroes’ among us

In a blog I posted a few months back, I announced my intentions to focus some of my efforts on the problem of food waste – all that perfectly good, nutritious food that ends up being tossed in the garbage while millions of families in this country don’t have enough to eat.  To this end, we managed to put an incredible team together to look at possible ways to intercept this unused food and put it on the tables of the “food security challenged” (as the U.S. Department of Agriculture describes them) instead of in the dumpster. Unfortunately, my conclusion after seven months of work on this initiative is that it might take a bit longer than I anticipated to commercialize, so I am going to have to set this dream aside for now in order to devote my attention to more immediate concerns in which I’m currently involved.

The purpose of this blog, however, is to explain why deferring a project in this manner isn’t necessarily negative nor a failure – something I believe every person who is a game changer, entrepreneur, or disruptor of the status quo should take into account.  The food waste team, for example, has done an incredible job of opening many eyes to the problem — in other words, they’ve planted seeds that are sure to blossom in the future and that, most likely, someone else will harvest. The unfortunate part is that the individuals involved will not get to enjoy the success that their early work on this important issue will probably help to bring about. But then, they are typical of society’s unsung heroes — the early contributors who have so often laid the groundwork for whatever genuine progress has been made in solving some of our thorniest dilemmas  In fact, when it comes to achieving major reforms or making earth-shaking discoveries, there are many such unsung heroes to whom we owe a tremendous debt of gratitude for tackling the ‘initial initiatives’ that most commercial enterprises simply don’t care to bother addressing until there’s already a foundation in place for them to build on.

To illustrate my point, when I originally told the members of this team that we should hang it up, that there was little we could accomplish to turn our ideas and insights into a practical solution, they said no, that they would be pressing ahead. But such dedication to a cause beyond the point where it provides one with any direct benefit is a trait that most unsung heroes share – a willingness to work behind the scenes, rather than taking the stage, to do research, formulate plans, and instigate innovations that others all too often will be given all the credit, glory and accolades for bringing to fruition (as has happened with many of our most life-changing inventions).

So here’s to all of you uncelebrated, unsung heroes out there – those of you who, upon seeing someone else getting the recognition awards and speaking engagements for the things you’ve helped develop, have said to yourselves, “Well maybe that period of my life was worth it after all. ” You have the satisfaction of  knowing who you are, and that your contribution to the success of a concept or a cause has helped in some way to make the world a more civilized and livable place – whether or not your role is ever recognized. And you also know that the experience you gained will serve you well in whatever new endeavor you may choose to embark on – and perhaps even give you a better shot at achieving the  recognition you truly deserve.

What you can read next

4th of July Tips To Evaluate Your Business Timeline: A-Z of Business
Doers Need To Feed Their Creativity
Rise above that ‘sinking feeling’ by being like cork

Recent Posts

  • Coming Home: How Reconnecting with Familiar Places Helped Me Rediscover My True Self
  • What does your Life Hierachy Look Like?
  • The unspoken promise of change
  • Podcast Appearance on Pitch Live with Amy Summers
  • Bad Habits and Behaviors from Business: The Cost of Achievement

Recent Comments

No comments to show.

Recent Posts

  • Coming Home: How Reconnecting with Familiar Places Helped Me Rediscover My True Self

    Familiar places serve as powerful mirrors, refl...
  • What does your Life Hierachy Look Like?

    The hierarchy of life, as outlined by happiness...
  • Cape Town, South Africa Nautical Seascape with Ships

    The unspoken promise of change

    My first week in South Africa was a rugged tape...
  • Podcast Appearance on Pitch Live with Amy Summers

    I’m so happy to share my podcast appearan...
  • success over family image

    Bad Habits and Behaviors from Business: The Cost of Achievement

    Success felt validating. Yet, in the background...

Archives

  • June 2025
  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • November 2024
  • September 2024
  • October 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • September 2022
  • May 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • January 2019
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • August 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • November 2010
  • March 2010
  • August 2003

Categories

  • Executive Coaching
  • Insights
  • Mobile
  • Networking
  • Podcast
  • Posts
  • Press
  • Technology
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Featured Posts

  • Coming Home: How Reconnecting with Familiar Places Helped Me Rediscover My True Self

    0 comments
  • What does your Life Hierachy Look Like?

    0 comments
  • Cape Town, South Africa Nautical Seascape with Ships

    The unspoken promise of change

    0 comments
  • Podcast Appearance on Pitch Live with Amy Summers

    0 comments
  • success over family image

    Bad Habits and Behaviors from Business: The Cost of Achievement

    0 comments

© 2022 All rights reserved.

TOP