Hello, and happy Monday.
Chapter One - Standing on the Shoreline
Words to Navigate By… “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” —Lao Tzu
Every meaningful next step in our journey begins in the same place. The shoreline. Not a physical shoreline… but our metaphorical shoreline, a dividing line of sorts, that separates our past from our future.
It is the place where everything we already know intersects with everything we have yet to discover. It separates where we have been, from the waters and lands yet to be explored.
Behind us is familiar ground. We know the routines, the people, and the landscape.
We’ve built lives and careers there. Some of us have lived there comfortably for years, even decades.
Ahead lies tomorrow and all the tomorrows yet to come.
We can’t quite see tomorrow. We hope there are palm trees somewhere beyond the horizon…
New opportunities.
Meaningful work.
Deeper relationships.
Better health.
Greater purpose.
Perhaps a more peaceful world.
We simply want to believe something good awaits us beyond the horizon.
Yet, between where we stand today, and where we hope to arrive, stretches a wide expanse of unknown and uncharted waters.
Some days it looks calm.
Other days it looks dark, stormy, and even ominous.
We imagine potential storms we haven’t encountered, rocks hidden beneath the surface, along with waves and winds that might carry us off course. We wonder if we’re ready. We question whether we have enough experience, enough courage, or enough faith to leave the security of our current shores.
We wonder if we’re ready?
If we’re honest, most of us have stood on similar shorelines more than once.
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A high school graduate wondering what comes next.
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A newly married couple begin a new chapter of their lives.
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A first-time manager.
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A family moving across the country or to another country.
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Someone beginning retirement.
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The unexpected loss of a loved one.
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Someone hearing difficult news from a physician.
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Someone asking, “Is there something more?”
Life has a remarkable way of bringing us back to the shoreline. We look out over those uncharted waters and wonder what comes next.
For many years, while speaking to audiences about leadership and change, I would draw a simple illustration on a whiteboard.
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Nothing fancy.
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Just a shoreline.
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The nearby beach labeled as “The Present.”
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The open water ahead.
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And, somewhere far beyond the horizon, the faint outline of distant palm trees.
Then I would ask a simple question: “Where are you standing today?”
It never failed. The room always became quiet.
People weren’t thinking about my drawing anymore. They were thinking about their lives and their place on the shoreline.
One observation has become increasingly clear to me over the years.
Many of us assume staying where we are is the safest place to be. Sometimes it is… sometimes it isn’t.
Because shorelines change too.
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The tide rises and falls.
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Opportunities come and go.
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Technology advances. (Automation, A.I., new business systems)
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Children grow up.
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Organizations evolve. Sometimes they grow, sometimes they fade into the past.
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Relationships deepen, or drift apart.
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The shoreline keeps changing. Whether we choose to move… or not.
The tide keeps coming in!
Standing still doesn’t always mean we’re standing safe. Perhaps that’s why every meaningful journey begins long before we ever set sail.
It begins with an honest conversation while standing on the shoreline.
Not asking, “Will there be storms?” Yes, there will be.
Not asking, “Will I ever be afraid?” Yes, likely so.
But asking instead, “Is remaining here really where I am meant to stay?”
That question has launched countless journeys. It may be preparing to launch yours.
“We cannot discover new oceans unless we have the courage to lose sight of the shore.” — André Gide*.*
As you stand on the shoreline of your tomorrows… what do you see?
And perhaps an even more important question…
If you have decided not to move or change, what has convinced you that staying exactly where you are is the safest choice?
Through my upcoming series of articles on this topic, I plan to help you feel hope, courage, and a positive outlook about your future. I suspect most of us would like to see more palm trees on the horizon.
How will you live, love, or lead, differently or better this week?
Until next Monday… Keep your eyes on the horizon.
Sincerely,
Bryan Yager
PS:
A Personal Note
Over the next several months, I’d like to invite you on a different kind of journey.
Many of my upcoming Monday Morning Minute articles will become the foundation for my next book, No Land in Sight, Navigating Change for Work & Life .
As such, I will welcome your feedback. You can help me make each concept and chapter the very best.
What ideas and concepts did you like, Which did you not like? How would you make them better? I will be grateful for your ideas.
Together, we’ll explore how we navigate change, uncertainty, and opportunity, both at work and in life.
I hope you’ll come along for the journey.
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From the Captain’s Log:
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“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – Often attributed to John A. Shedd
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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Commonly attributed to Mark Twain (attribution uncertain)
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“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” Helen Keller
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“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.” Seneca
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“You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
Rabindranath Tagore
