Three Points to Ponder When Your Ship Comes In
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Have you been waiting for something for so long, that if it happened you’d be completely taken by surprise?
And no, I’m not talking about something as mundane as winning the lottery (Honey! We won 10 bucks!), suddenly inheriting a fortune from an unknown uncle (Yep, ol’ whatsisname was always my favorite uncle!), or some similar chance event.
No, I’m talking about things you have personally been dreaming of, or working towards, or even praying about for some time now. Maybe it’s that dream job you envisioned 10 years ago. Or, it’s achieving that lifelong goal you set for yourself a while back. Maybe it could even be that all the elements you’ve been patiently setting into place over the last (fill in amount here) days, weeks, months or years (pick one) have finally come to fruition?
In other words, Your Ship Just Came in. (Insert moment of silence while every single reader daydreams for a moment about that “thing”.)
OK, let’s just suppose for a moment that something you’ve hoped for, dreamed about, prepared for, prayed about, and even mightily wished for… has just happened.
Long Time Coming
As a matter of fact, something like that just happened to me. See, I started college in 1972, but after a couple of years, gave up on my degree. However, in 1993 (ironically enough, it was exactly fifteen years ago today!), I turned to Mrs. MZM and said words to the effect of, “I want to finally finish my engineering degree.”
To be honest, I’m not sure what prompted me to pick that particular moment to tell her. Maybe it was the fact it was my 40th birthday. (You know what they say about “male menopause”. Mrs. MZM was just happy it wasn’t a sports car or climbing Mt. Everest.) But, I do remember what helped me decide it was time to change!
Anyway, fifteen years later (go ahead, do the math; and yep, it’s my Birthday today!), after not one but three degrees, steady progressive growth in work skills (and jobs!), and a tough, four-year period of “severe economic uncertainty” (that’s code for no income), well, here I am, looking up at this… ship… that’s suddenly grounded itself right in front of me!
So what’s the good news, you ask? See, after all of the above, my dream of becoming a consultant has finally happened! The large engineering firm I work for has a Consulting group (completely separate from the engineering group), and I switched over and became a Senior Consultant on January 14th! (Cue the band; cue the fireworks – and hey, where’s that red carpet!)
As I said, it’s been a long time coming. But, the journey has definitely been rewarding, to say the least. So for those of you who may have been, are now, or will be in the same, er, boat, I’d like to offer three points to ponder (and if you already have been in the same boat, then congratulations! And keep paddling!)
Point 1: Every goal leads to another
Interestingly enough, back in 1993 when I went back to school, the idea of becoming a consultant was not one of my goals. Rather, the idea has sortof, well, unfolded over time.
I mean, the whole point in achieving a goal is to establish you’ve got what it takes to make it, right? Why else would some fool idiot visionary climb that mountain, sail that ocean – or bring themselves to eat that first pickled pig’s foot – if they didn’t plan to go on to greater things from there?
What successful person you know has ever been satisfied with achieving just one goal? Absolutely nobody (he cried, pounding the table for emphasis)!
The reality was that achieving my goal doesn’t mean “Stop here – I’m done!” That’s because by the time I managed to achieve one, well, the next goal has already become an obvious, logical target.
Stands to reason, don’t you think? After all, when you set for yourself a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG, for short), you always need to break it down into manageable steps before you take it on. Otherwise you will probably just get discouraged and likely quit.
Well, I just did it in a kinda different (sortof reversed) way. I used the achievement of smaller goals to progressively envision bigger ones. (But then, I’ve always been something of an, er, contrarian. But I digress.)
Point 2: That next step should be a “Dilly”
You know what a Dilly is, don’t you? It’s the first (and usually, the hardest) step of your journey, task, goal, etc. – you know, your journey through life.
Unfortunately we all have a tendency to view a goal, once accomplished, as the final prize; the finish line; the end of all effort. But beware of that attitude (more on this in Point 3, below) because it ain’t! No, it’s just the platform from which you can now envision your next goal(s).
And listen to your Uncle Robert here; whatever you do, don’t make it an easy one. Nope, make it yet another BHAG! I’m here to tell ya – you don’t have to know where your final endpoint is (as if there were one); just focus on your next step and determine what it’s going to take to accomplish that. The next goal will make itself obvious, given time.
Point 3: Don’t wait; take that next step now
See, once you’ve achieved a goal (especially if it took quite a bit of effort and time), then our natural tendency is to relax, maybe maintain the status quo for a bit; perhaps even bask in the glory sense of accomplishment for awhile.
Alas, the problem is that staleness can set in pretty quickly.
Don’t wait, my friend; take that next leap now! At all costs, don’t allow yourself to relax too much (some is OK, of course). Wanna know why? Because you won’t know when you’ll have relaxed too much until it’s too late!
Point 4: This one’s all about you
OK, here’s where you have the opportunity to contribute a point or two (what the heck; gimme three or four, why don’cha?) Care to add to, dispute, modify or illustrate any of the above? What have you learned from the achievement of a BHAG? What do you know?
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30 responses so far
Middle Zone Musings is a comfortable place to stop, have a cup of coffee, swap a few stories and share practical ideas for the real world. I don't ask for much, just a bit of your brain every now and then. Have a seat, take a load off, and relax...
Hey – Happy Birthday … and congratulations on achieving this dream! What are you going to do for an encore?
Thanks, Lucy! Funny; I don’t FEEL older…
Now I think I’ll just relax, take it easy for a while… you know; bask in the sunlight of my brilliance… (sound of glass breaking)… NOT! Well, for an encore, I guess I need to follow my own advice and start building my next BHAG! Already have some good ideas, too.
So have you ever had a ship come in, Lucy? What did it feel like? Was it a surprise or did it happen as planned?
Congratulations. Like you – I’ve found that you always come back to the things that are really important to you. Also, you’ve got to be persistent and focus on what you really want. I’ve wasted so much time in the past through getting sidetracked, or focusing on less important projects.
Howdy, Catherine! I think you hit the key on the head, there – it’s the things you’re passionate about (or can GET passionate about) that will keep your interest the longest.
Getting sidetracked can be a real pain. But – there might be another side to it.
Let me ask you something. Has anything that sidetracked you ever turned out to be a blessing in disguise?
How exciting and thanks for sharing this with your loyal readers!!
For me stepping out as a consultant 4 years ago was liberating and terrifying in equal measure. It has been an interesting journey for me so far and I agree that other opportunities become obvious – as long as you keep your mind open and antennae switched on!
Have a great day.
Jackie, I know exactly what you mean – I did the same thing a while back. Alas, it was not the right time (the (911 tragedy just happened, and business was already in a slump), but it didn’t prevent me from learning a LOT about what I really wanted out of life.
You’re especially right about keeping the antennae on! You never know when some little thing will turn out to be the next place you need to go.
I’m curious… in light of Catherine’s comment above (and my response)…
How many of us have ever been “sidetracked” into what we really wanted to do?
Hi Bob, Congratulations – sounds like the perfect job for you. I took the big leap a few years back when I started my own company, still waiting for the ship to come in. Some days I feel like I’m waiting for the Titanic, so your post is especially encouraging. Best of luck in the new assignment.
Thanks, Brad! What makes this so uncertain is that it’s what I’ve always THOUGHT I wanted to do. But not having done it before (at least like this)… well, you know what I mean.
I know what you mean about the Titanic.
Actually, the image I have in my mind (and fruitlessly searched for) is the one from the end of Sandra Bullock’s ridiculous movie Speed 2, where the ship plows into the dock before coming to a halt. That’s sorta what it feels like!
Hope it works out for you, Brad!
Happy birthday, Bob! And welcome to the wonderful world of consulting. How does this change what you do?
As for your question of getting “sidetracked” on the path to what we really want to do, it happens all the time. I’m sitting on a little-used spur in the great switching yard of life as I type this. Now, where’s that switch…?
Thanks, Mike! Hey – been there!
As for what I’ll be doing…
Actually, I’m looking forward to finding out first-hand “just what do those guys do all day, anyway?” (sound of rimshot)
But seriously folks… in a nutshell:
Instead of being on the Engineering Project Management side of things, which is mainly focused on Total Installed Cost (TIC), I’ll be helping clients to strategically plan their plant designs from a Total Cost of Ownership (TOoC) point of view.
This includes such things as Reliability, Availability, Maintainability, and a whole bunch of other -ilities.
Why is this critical to Owners? The cost of operating a facility can be anywhere from 2 to 20 times the TIC, so controlling costs in that area can have a considerably greater impact on TOoC.
Hey Bob,
The new gig sounds WAY more fun! In many technology projects I’ve seen, the total cost of ownership gets short shrift compared to total installed cost. It comes back to bite companies in a big way!
Mike
You got it! Actually, my company got started in this area mainly because our clients asked us to help ‘em out. Now we’re developing it into a full “practice”.
I expect I’ll be doing some traveling, too. Who knows – might even pass through Phoenix some day; we’ll do lunch!
a very happy birthday to you robert …
and while this month’s goal wasn’t exactly hairy or even bodacious – i did seek to meet 20 new clients, and hit 17 yesterday …
and that just rocks
Thank you Karen! Although… I’ll bet there’s a BHAG out there with your name on it!
I think I actually heard those fireworks Robert. I know how hard this must have been and now it is paying off. I just wish you had posted a ship as grand as, say the Queen Mary steaming full ahead Ha Ha. Happy Birthday fellow Aquarius. Mine was yesterday! I am proud and excited for you.
Thank you Etta; I truly appreciate the B-day wishes!
As for the ship, well, the Queen Mary would be a bit too high-falutin’ for little ol’ me.
Hi Bob, in that leap of faith it always seems like barriers rise up. I sense you’ve developed great strategies to leap over these too.
So now my curiosity is quenched! Looks like lots of other folks were wondering what you were up to.
All the best in your new consulting position!
Yep; you saw my strategy – “Close your eyes and floor it!”
Thanks for the kind regards, Robyn! You inspire me!
Happy birthday and congratulations on your new job!
Happy Birthday, Robert!?! And Congratulations!? (sound of champagne bottle cracking against the Ship That Came In…) Cheers! Hurray!
I’ve veered off course a few times, but in the end I think maybe for good reasons (the time wasn’t right). It also allowed me to chart a different course — a course I’m grateful for (now).
Lillie; thanks for your kind wishes! I appreciate it!
Dar, thanks so much! I’ve been down that crooked path a few times myself.
Robert, sorry to be late wishing you a happy birthday, and congratulations on your new gig
Nice use of framing by the way to give us the news!
Joanna
Thanks, Joanna! Yes, the framing… I meant to do it exactly that way (he said with fingers crossed behind his back).
Actually, it just sorta unfolded… But it turned out rather nicely, don’t you think?
Robert,
Happy birthday and congrats on your new senior consultancy position! That’s great news, and I’m sure you deserve it! Your considerable wisdom has always come through in your posts, and I have no doubt at all that you’ll make an excellent consultant!
Though I’ve had a few yachts come in, still waiting for my ship! I agree that one goal fulfilled often becomes a stepping stone to the next–revealing very clearly the direction of the next step in the journey toward the greater goal.
Many years ago, my aunt wrote these words in my autograph album (when I graduated from grammar school, to be exact), and I’ve never forgotten them: “Don’t wait for your ship to come in. Row out and meet it.” And that seems to fit right in with your philosophy–particularly point 3. Because that’s precisely what keeps you moving steadily–if slowly–forward toward your goal.
Love your blog’s new look…classy…welcoming…relaxing…and…well…the perfect spot for Middle Zone musings!
Cheers!
Jeanne
Jeanne, thank you for the kind regards, I truly appreciate you and what you are doing – I need all the inspiration I can get!
I love your aunt’s quote! Sounds like a wise woman, indeed! May I use it in the next edition of Great Quotes?
And to anyone else who has a favorite quote – send them to me and I’ll put them in, too!
Robert,
Why, certainly! Don’t know its origin, though. If it IS a famous quote, maybe you could find out by googling it. (If not, maybe my aunt should be famous! LOL!)
Jeanne
Thanks, Jeanne; I’ll check it out…
Best Wishes a day late! I am bit wiser and motivated by your comments. Thank you for your generous “Un-birthday Gift!”
Sheila
You’re quite welcome, Sheila! Hey, drop by anytime for more!