The Crane.
It was nearly a year ago to-date when I met up with a good ole friend of mine somewhere near Charleston and we took a trip down south to Daytona Beach for the weekend.
The weekend was well-needed, as I hadn’t seen my friend in some time and there was a lot of life I was excited to share with him that had happened to me since he had moved from Chattanooga. I was about to be married, had recently launched my brand, graduated from college, and was just fired up for the road ahead and with him being an intellect and a great conversationalist I knew it was going to be a good trip.
Discover Your Crane
During the weekend I had set out for a walk on the beach and it wasn’t long before my friend had joined me. He had asked where I was headed, and since I had spotted a crane that was constructing the newest beach condo up the coast several miles standing tall against the skyline, I made that my destination.
“I’m headed towards that crane” I told him.
“Why?” (this is why I say he is a great conversationalist)
“Because, without a destination I would just merely be meandering up the beach.”
Your Path Is In Sand
I’ve learned from sitting at the feet of folks that are much wiser, wealthier, and weathered than I that there is significance in having your goal in the concrete and your path in the sand.
Why? My friend may have asked.
Because in life, no matter what your goal – whether it be starting your own enterprise or marrying the woman of your dreams, it is important to have goals. It is important to be aiming at something. Have you ever heard the old adage “shoot for the moon and if you miss you’ll land among the stars”? That saying wasn’t specific for Neil Armstrong or Valentina Tereshkova, in fact; it is metaphorical for “aim at the bullseye and in the worst-case scenario you hit the target”.
Goals are important, but we also can’t get all bent out of shape if (and when) we fall short of them. They are goals for a reason, and if they are always attainable and realistic then they aren’t stretching us to reach them; therefore, we aren’t growing in the process. Fulfillment isn’t found in attainment, it’s found in the process of attaining.
“Growth’s highest reward is not what we get from it, but what we become by it”
– John C. Maxwell
“So what’s so significant about that crane?”
“Nothing at all, other than it has us headed in the right direction.”
Stay Straight
So off we went. We were headed down the beach on a beautiful April morning on the Eastern coast of The Sunshine State and there wasn’t a day that that nickname didn’t hold truer.
The gulls were hunting crabs and clams and children built sandcastles that would be washed away come high tide. There were families and loved ones, beach bums and tanners, and all sorts of activity in between us and that crane, and we were enjoying our walk.
My friend is what you might call a socialite. He operates most efficiently when surrounded by the hustle and bustle. You might say that he gets bored quickly, but he is just doing what he does best – probably why he makes his living and does so well as a traveling consultant for a finance giant. So on this walk to the crane, he is finding sea shells and chasing gulls, kicking soccer balls and floating at sea, all while I maintain a steady pace bee-lining it to the crane. Sometimes this would frustrate him when he would find something or someone that interested him more than walking towards a crane, but he never let it get him down.
I would occasionally get frustrated with him and what I called “his distractions” but he found the most joy off the beaten path and in those distractions so I couldn’t get too upset.
During our walk, I walked an almost straight line towards that crane in the distance. Sometimes my straight path would have me walking waist deep in water, but most of the time it kept me in the sand.
My friend asked me about my method, and I explained it to him in this manner:
“If you know your destination (The Crane) and set out on the straight path towards it, should you fear that you’ll wind up off course?”
“of course not”
“If the water gets deep, and if the sun goes down and the tides come in, or the waves get choppy, or the sand shaky, but we stay straight, do you reckon we’ll make it?”
That walk yielded some deep insight. Much into the realm of modern collegiate academia and the future state of our current affairs. But more than that, it confirmed some truths for me.
The Journey Is Better When Shared
Despite all the nuances and distractions my friend caused us, it made for a much more memorable journey. Second, not everyone is headed towards the crane. Many people will join you on your mission for some time, whether it be for a moment or for a good part of your journey, but at the end of the day everyone has their own walk-on-the-beach and it's up to you to add as much value to that persons life as you can during your time together. Whether it be a pass of the soccer ball or a simple hello, if you are able to make someone’s day a little brighter then it will make your walk on the beach all the more worthwhile.
Leave Some Footprints Behind
Many never decide upon their Crane and will leave the beach disappointed having nothing but a sunburn and sandy shorts to show for it. As Bob Moawad, author of Whatever It Takes put it: “You can’t leave footprints in the sands of time if you never get off your butt, and who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?”
As we neared the crane, we both realized that we had walked several miles. The crane was much further away than we had anticipated but having made it our mission and having had such a good time, we nearly lost our perception of distance. We were probably 200 yards from the crane when we decided to turn back. Sure, we could have touched it or signed it or something, but we realized that we were destined to miss the moon all along because we were already living among the stars.