I was recently lucky enough to be invited to visit a friend in “Sunny” Florida. It was a wonderful short break and a chance to relax a little before jumping head first into the Chamber’s planning which takes place as we prepare for a new year of events and programming for our busy business organization.
As I strolled past the million dollar yachts in Fort Lauderdale, tucked in between was a small boat and a weathered old sailor, straightening his rig on a vessel that had certainly seen its share of adventures. This aged wooden structure stood in stark contrast to the large, sleek ships and their capable young crews. I couldn’t help but think that the old ship, like the captain that manned her, was winding down her years of service.
As I ventured up the road by the canal, I stopped by a little tavern and I ordered a beverage taking in the sun which glistened bright orange on the water. I’m not sure why, but my mind kept wandering back to the aged sailor who reminded me so much of Santiago from Ernest Hemingway’s, The Old Man and the Sea. For those who may not recall the Pulitzer Prize winning book, its release launched Hemingway’s career and also won the renowned Author a Nobel Prize for Literature.
The book tells the story of an aging sailor whose most productive fishing days may have passed him by. He takes his boat out every day but the big catch always seems to elude him. Many of the town’s fishermen fear he is simply bad luck. Santiago though is persistent and eventually lands the elusive Marlin that he straps to his small raft. Unfortunately, on the way back to the village shore, sharks eat at the carcass of the giant Marlin. Santiago fends them off, preserving his life, but losing the coveted trophy he had worked so tirelessly to attain.
Santiago reminds me of many of the entrepreneurs here at the Lake region. They launch their boat in search of their own Moby Dick. Equipped with a sense of optimism, persistence, a fishing pole and their own jar of Tartar Sauce, convinced if they work hard enough, they’ll land that big fish one day.
Some of us head into this New Year on a high note. Perhaps in 2018, you finally turned the corner and enjoyed the success you had hoped to achieve. Maybe you came up a little short, but you know that Marlin is just off the shore and you can pull him in with a little bit of luck and persistence this coming year.
Successful entrepreneurs cannot begin to count their failures. They don’t reflect much on the ones that got away. Instead, they look at each challenge as a stepping stone to their eventual success.
As the afternoon was slipping away, I passed back by the dock where I saw the old sailor. I was just in time to see him under way one last time. The sun had almost set, burning bright orange on the water as his boat sliced quietly through the smooth sea. The old man turned his boat, making his way back into the waterway. One last venture before the day yielded to the twilight of the night. His gaze firmly fixed on the horizon and his elusive fish was perhaps just a catch away.
Bill Russell
Russell's Ramblings 