Dear clients, partners, and team,
I still hadn’t reached my 25th birthday when I founded Dasein in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. I remember it as if it was today. So many projects, dreams, expectations, fears, certainties, insecurities, and an enormous will to do a million things at once. And that’s how things would happen. At this time, the birth of my firstborn daughter, Clara, would come along. Then Rebeca, my youngest, would be born, and my life went along unfolding.
One day, when I got home, Clara had read about Dasein’s 20th anniversary, and commented, “Mom, you always wanted to have 3 daughters, but you said the time ended up passing… Have you ever considered that maybe you already have a third daughter? It’s Dasein! And I’m very proud of her!”
I don’t even need to mention that in that moment, the last 20 years would pass through my mind in 20 seconds, and I was completely overwhelmed by emotion. I had never put words to the feeling to define my relationship with Dasein. A feeling that a mother has for her daughter! When they asked me to write this message for Dasein’s 20th anniversary, it just occurred to me to tell you all about some of the lessons that this relationship with Dasein has taught me over time:
- That dreams do come true, but, much to the contrary of what so many “preach,” when a dream comes true and stops being a dream, it’s important to have the courage and perseverance to come to terms with the experience that’s just occurred. It’s just that despite the reality of it being so intense and beyond extreme, having kept in my soul the liveliness of that girl of twentysomething years has always been a great triumph. I can credit, among so many other things, the sense of humor, the simplicity, the discipline, the faith that everything is going to turn out just fine, and the resilience.
- I also had to learn to be patient; honestly, I still haven’t learned this, but I know how to live side by side with my impatience, and I confess to you that well-managed impatience ends up being a generous attribute, which motivates us to transcend all of our limits each and every day. That could very well be one of the secrets of our business!
- Knowledge is the most exquisite part of everything, because with time, we end up learning to learn better and faster, and in fact, our children test us constantly. We need to reformulate the entire process at every phase, to update our presentation and arguments, because what we learn has an expiration date, and to trust that fact is a wellspring of longevity.
I believe that to undertake such endeavors is an act of love, to consolidate oneself over time reflects ability, to do what you like is the source of pleasure, to contribute to people and businesses rising to new horizons is living proof that this choice was the correct one! It’s clear that in 20 years a lot has happened. I’ll highlight one of the most recent ones, in 2014, which, thanks to a partnership with IMD – International Search Group—was the year we witnessed the expansion of our presence to more than 25 countries! There have been huge mistakes and successes! I would like to focus on the first success. The name that was chosen to this daughter: Dasein, which according to Heidegger, means “Being of Opportunities.” That is what we are in our deepest essence, what we promote with all of our actions! We have an unwavering conviction that we can be better and better each and every day, as long as we can learn and systematically practice these lessons. To be Dasein is a daily mission for our services to help society, businesses, and people better connect through the realization of their full potential!
There’s so much to be done! The good news is that we are just beginning! It’s the Power to Be! That is Dasein!
Thank you!
ADRIANA PRATES
President of Dasein Executive Search
