Throw Your Ball Forward: The Journey of Turning Ideas into Reality

I grew up in Namibe, Angola, a province known for its vast and beautiful coastline. Like many boys from Namibe, I learned to swim at the beach. One of our favorite games was to throw the ball forward into the sea and then chase after it. The feeling of losing the ball pushed us to paddle harder, trying to reach it before it was carried further away by the waves. We quickly learned that the sooner we ran after it, the less effort we would have to make, as the ball would drift farther away as time passed. And the sooner we caught the ball, the sooner we could rest, using it as a "float" to help us return to the shore.

This simple and fun experience carried profound lessons that apply not only to life but also to the professional world.

Throwing the Ball Forward: Everything starts with an idea. Throwing the ball forward is equivalent to setting a goal, creating an objective you want to achieve. This initial act is essential because it forces us to step out of our comfort zone and begin a journey into the unknown.

Chasing After It: Once the ball is in the sea, there’s no time to lose. The sooner we dedicate ourselves to the work needed to reach our goals, the less effort we’ll have to make later. Chasing after the ball is like dedicating ourselves with commitment and discipline to our work, always keeping the focus on the objective.

Paddling Hard: The path may be challenging, the waves (or obstacles) may try to divert us from our course, but it’s important to keep paddling hard—keep working hard, adapting to circumstances, and never giving up.

Using the Ball as a Float: Finally, when we reach the ball, it becomes a symbol of achievement. But we can also use it to rest, catch our breath, and prepare for the next stage. In the business world, this might mean celebrating small victories along the way, using them to motivate us and keep us firm on our journey.

Returning to Shore: With the ball in hand, we return to the safety of the shore, ready to throw the ball again, perhaps even farther this time. This cycle of throwing the ball, chasing after it, and reaching it is a metaphor for the process of continuous growth. Each goal achieved prepares us for the next, each accomplishment gives us the strength to aim for something even greater.

In Namibe, I learned that the key to success is not being afraid to throw the ball forward, to dream big, and then give your best effort to reach the goal. This lesson is valid for all of us. With a growth mindset, hope, synergy, collaboration, communication, and hard work, we can turn our ideas into goals and our dreams into reality.