The only answer possible might be found by comparing it against other endeavors established by those with a particular achievement or goal in mind from the beginning, then deciding whether the course was terminated too early, led in the wrong direction or reached its end to the satisfaction of the helmsman...If a definable goal is in mind, was it reached in a straightline course destroying anything in its path, or was the road cut to avoid obstacles and leave intact those who might be traveling with a similar purpose at a slower rate?...And in either case, was the goal worth the expense of the effort?...
Each traveler on life's road shares that avenue with others, some with the same direction, some thinking their goal is back where you departed and still others with an entirely different course guiding them to their own goals...Observation of each by each yields clues which can be of help in measuring one's own schedule of achievement...
A sharp focus on one's goals can lead to falling into pits and stumbling over obstacles that may have been best avoided by a broader view of the path ahead, and possible detours and alternate routes...With this in mind, one may ponder whether a lone helmsman might find worthwhile value in a navigator to help steer the course...That question can only be answered by determining the added cost of the navigator, including the price to be paid by false turns from either, as balanced against the prize awaiting when the goal is declared to have been reached...
All these thoughts come from the mind of a man who trod two paths simultaneously trying to make them converge at a single point, a difficult trick in itself...As it turns out, hindsight is one of the greatest tools in life's work, but can only be had at the price of failure...But failure has its own value when viewed in the proper perspective...Failure can be only one stumbling block with many brothers to be avoided in the road ahead...
As usual, I brought examples with me to show the class...Until retirement, I've been unemployed twice since I was 18...Once when I left the USAF and took a few weeks to look around the country visiting friends and relatives...Again when I moved to Houston...Quit work Friday afternoon, packed the moving van, drove to Houston, unpacked, looked for a job Monday afternoon and started work Tuesday morning...
Does that make me a success?...Although many regard steady employment as a success, I look at it as a learning experience in a lab for success, because although it provided sustenance and shelter, I was walking a path created by and for others, not necessarily myself...Being my own leader and following a direction of my choosing toward a goal which I set was more my idea of success...
When I found myself at the pinnacle of a career that allowed me to work for gain while maintaining my own level of integrity, I found my aging physical condition wouldn't allow me to continue, and I had to switch tracks...Already having an avocational interest in another field, I began to make use of discretionary time by building an inventory and reputation providing goods and service to others with similar enthusiasms...
But success can attract both the benevolent as well as the undesirable elements of humanity, and everything in between; the trick being to differentiate among them all...My degree of success began to show as expansion became a necessity...Others wanted along for the ride, but not all with the intention of sharing the load...This is where the aforementioned helmsman is best served by a competent navigator...
Staying with the nautical theme, a conscientious first mate would have been valuable in separating the rowers to be paid from the passengers from which to collect...Misplaced trust is a liability funded by lost profits and a journey terminating on the rocks at worst, and somewhat short of the goal at best...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Success, and its mirror side failure, take form in endeavors other than business also...As satisfying as a lucrative career might seem on the surface, It's luster shines more brightly reflected by those who admire your efforts, and with whom you can share your victory...But an unfortunate aspect of life lies in the fact that even snakes have families, and they can be masters of disguise for the unwary...
Success in the social side of life can be even trickier and fraught with more perils than business, as trust is even more essential, and harder to vet...Your object of attraction can become at the least annoyed if your confidence is not immediately granted...If attention is not paid as details become known, your disregard can become costly...
My first marriage began as most do with the best of intentions, and ended in dismal failure due to circumstances entirely of my own making...The only success I could take away from the experience was the knowledge of something to avoid if afforded another opportunity later in life...But "something" to avoid is only one item on a list of "everything" to avoid...Regrettably that list is unpublished...
My inability to see what should have been obvious warning flares before my second attempt at wedded union came from believing that we shared the same values when the only value she really wanted was what I had accrued, and she was not willing to share it with anyone...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This brings us not to the end, but to the present as no one knows where or how each odyssey ends...All we know is where we are now, and if we were paying attention, how we got here...Life is a series of experiences from which lessons are drawn...And I'm not through learning yet...
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments and critiques are always welcome, and will be reviewed before publication...They will not be seen immediately...Keep it clean please...