Beauty Industry Exec Keeps Photo Of Crying 15-Year-Old Girl On Desk To Remind Himself Why He Does This

United States News News

NEW YORK—Saying it regularly provides him with the motivation he needs to get through the day, Estée Lauder senior vice president Mark Evans told reporters Friday he keeps a photo of a sobbing 15-year-old girl on his desk to remind himself why he does this. “With all the meetings and phone calls I have to deal with every day, it can be easy to lose touch with why I got into this business in the first place—but whenever I find myself growing frustrated with work, all I have to do is look over at this picture of a crying teenage girl and I remember that it’s not about me; it’s about her,” said Evans, noting that the adolescent’s distressed, tear-streaked face is the perfect reminder that the long hours he puts in marketing skincare and cosmetic products to women are in service of something bigger than himself. “I’ll be honest—sometimes I think I just can’t deal with the daily grind anymore. But then I see the genuine sorrow and misery in her young eyes, and I realize that regardless of how busy and maddening this job can be, I am having a real, significant impact on people out there, and that’s what truly matters.” Evans added that, in an effort to keep his priorities in perspective, he is trying to pause more often and consider how grateful he is that his work is not simply affecting the crying young woman right now, but also helping set the foundation of how she relates to the world for the rest of her life.