Trim Tabs, Tug-of-Wars, and Ocean Ships...

To ensure the safety of the passengers and cargo, the captain of the ship must somehow steer his vessel, a vessel that can weigh upwards of 150,000 metric tons, to ensure it stays in deep water. For this reason, every large ocean going ship has a steering system, consisting of several parts working within a system, including a Trim Tab, designed as a rudder for the rudder which then turns the craft. The Trim Tab is designed to allow the captain to do systematically what is impossible to do physically, apply enough force to turn the megaton ships and fulfill his role efficiently and effectively in a predictable fashion.After all, not only is the amount of force it would take to turn one of the large ships beyond the strength of the strongest person, even the force to turn the rudder of one of these ships is beyond his strength. And yet, due to the leverage of systems, the ship turns on the Captain’s command. 

In consequence, the true objective in any profession is to determine the Trim Tab activities and master them. To be sure, the captain could have many other great qualities, friendly, loyal, and a communication skills, but he will still run the ship aground if he does not use the trim tab to turn the rudder to steer the ship. Indeed, this is why I disagree with the statement, “Don’t sweat the small stuff and it is all small stuff,” for this is a recipe for disaster. Instead, I suggest, “Don’t sweat the small stuff, but sweat every detail of the important stuff (the Trim Tab actions).” Success hinges upon nothing less than identifying and mastering the Tim Tab activities.

Depth building in any organization is like pulling the rope in a tug-of-war – the winning side must want it so bad that he/she will do everything legally, morally, and ethically, to obtain victory. Then, last week, a video surfaced from a tug-of-war contest that highlighted the importance of knowing the Trim Tab behaviors (pulling the rope) and staying focused. There was a young boy who simply refused to surrender, encouraging his whole team by his example to keep fighting and stay focused regardless of the setbacks and later exhaustion. This is impressive Trim Tab tenacity, to say the least.

Where is this type of focus, determination, and drive today that this young boy displays? Why do so many people, even those who know the proper Trim Tab activities, simply give up when the going gets tough? Laziness is not the proper response when one’s dreams are on the line; unfortunately, in contrast to the young boys persistence, quitting seems to be the most popular response in today’s pampered age. Nevertheless, as the video teaches, there is a point in every person’s life where he has to determine whether he will do whatever it takes to win or simply be content with losing.

Perhaps this is why basketball great, Kobe Bryant, minced no words when he stated, “I can’t relate to lazy people. We don’t speak the same language. I don’t understand you. I don’t want to understand you.” The Green Box community has declared war on lazy (lazy habits, lazy excuses, lazy thinking) and replaced it with winning habits, winning reasons, and winning thinking. I simply cannot comprehend why a person would make excuses when others are counting on him. While the movie Bleed is mediocre at best, near the end it had one of the best lines on success I have ever heard. Below is the dialog between the reporter and the three-time world boxing champ, Vinny Pazienza, on the biggest lie ever told about success:

Reporter: So what would you say the biggest deception was? What was the biggest lie you were told?

Vinny Pazienza: It is not that simple.

Reporter: Why not?

Vinny Pazienza: No that is the biggest lie I was ever told.” It is not that simple” and it is a lie they tell you over and over again.

Reporter: What is not simple?

Vinny Pazienza: Any of it. All of it. It is how they get you to give up, they say, “It is not that simple”

Reporter: So what is the truth?

Vinny Pazienza: That it is. That if you just do the thing that they tell you “you cannot” then it is done. and you realize it is that simple and that it always was.

The difference between winners and wannabes is captured in the two quotes above, namely, quit listening to those who haven’t gone where you are going and then start (and never stop) walking while everyone else is talking. No wonder why my favorite action quote is, “When all is said and done, much more is said than is ever done.” 

https://youtu.be/xi6pOofziFQ