"Nothing in the world is more flexible and yielding than water."
- Lao Tzu
I have been thinking a lot about all the FUN things we did as children. Roller coaster and water parks CONTINUALLY pop to mind.
Mostly I think about how much I LOVE the Lazy River at a water park. It is part relaxation, part revelation. It is a great place to RACE the slower rafts, even if they do not know we are racing, by finding the jet ways that ACCELERATE the raft best.
I realized that the Lazy River is very similar to business. It is a system of continual motion, with multiple "rafts" navigating the same small plot of area. We are all riding the jet streams, hoping to not be bogged down or stuck in a whirlpool. Those that are more AGGRESSIVE are "RACING" with the little pushes we can find. Mostly, I realized, we are all going in a very SIMILAR direction on a very similar path…
2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
So how do we DIFFERENTIATE if we are all on the same path, floating in the same streams, riding in similar "boats?" We must find a DIFFERENT way.
At 32 years old, I FANCY myself a "child with mature responsibilities" and thus still try to HARNESS the creativity of a child in their problem solving. Do you remember what the 8, 9 and 10 year old kids would do in the Lazy River (no, not pee in it)? They would duck through the hole of the tube, swim QUICKLY up stream and find another tube to pop their head into before they were caught.
They REALIZED that, in order to stay in the pool, they must be in a "float," but only when near a lifeguard. Thus, when OPPORTUNITY was available, they would swim ahead of the slower, more "settled" riders, and find an OPEN float they could occupy. Interesting concept, eh?
Are you swimming ahead into OPEN opportunities when they are available? Are you PUSHING the rules of the land in order to find ways to create advantages for yourself and others? Or, are you just along for the ride, hoping you aren't caught in a whirlpool or fall out of your raft?
Cheers,
Zach
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