Embrace gratitude as awareness. Albert Einstein showed us that seeing interdependence—the "scaffolding" of others' labors—is key to clarity and impactful work.
November 23, 2025
Albert Einstein once wrote, “A hundred times a day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other people.”
He describes gratitude not as thankfulness, but as awareness.
Gratitude is a way of seeing the invisible scaffolding that holds together your day: the people, tools, and quiet systems that make your work possible.
Einstein’s version of gratitude was structural.
He saw interdependence as reality. Every piece of progress, every breakthrough, every calm moment in the middle of the noise is the result of someone else’s work intersecting with your own.
Notice your periphery more completely.
When you really see the network around you, the ones who support, anticipate, and enable what you do, you lead differently.
You move with a little more clarity and a little more respect for the collective effort it takes to do anything meaningful.
Gratitude becomes a form of intelligence—a way of seeing the work behind the work.
As 2025 starts coming to a close, we’ve been reflecting on what makes Athena special. At the heart of it all are the executive assistants (”XPs”) who bring clarity, calmness, and consistency to your life. They’re an essential part of what makes your partnership work.
Your XP deserves every bit of appreciation. And while you focus on building that partnership, here's what Athena provides behind the scenes:
Career development and training
Financial benefits
Health and wellbeing
Tools and equipment
One XP told us recently: "I used to avoid anything outside my comfort zone. Now I'll tackle almost anything because I know I have the tools and the backup."
That backup means your XP can focus on your partnership. It means they're growing alongside you, learning from thousands of other XPs, and building a long term career.