I have mentioned before, in an earlier blog, that I have never been a fan of Robert Frost. I never could get into his stuff. I once got into an argument with a college professor about Frost and how I thought his poetry was fluff (still got an A). His largest contribution to the literary world is “The Road Not Taken”. (The snowy woods one wasn’t bad I guess).
Sometimes in life and in business we take a left turn. “The road not taken”. More often than not, it was a choice made out of necessity-not always out of desire or spawned from your original goals. Survival sometimes opens doors to new jobs, relationships and adventures. Often, your climb in life goes a different direction than up and thats ok.
The natural direction for climbers is up. Up is not the only direction.
Billy Beane was one heck of a baseball player and was expected to do great things in the Major Leagues. If you have ever read or watched Moneyball, he’s the main character in the story. Billy didnt know how to lose. He had never really faced adversity and when he finally stumbled in life he became lost and consumed with self doubt. The weight of his expectations and the things that had always come “easy” to him pretty much crushed his ability to move up. Billy climbed because it was expected. He climbed because that’s what he thought he should do. When the ladder ran out of rungs for him….he made a decision to go left. He survived before the decision was made for him. Billy found another ladder.
Goals are wonderful things. I love them. I write them down, share them, visualize and work to make them real. If you don’t have any…you should get some. Just make sure you are not so blinded by the expected climb that you don’t see the other ladder. The ladder that will possibly take you in the direction of your true purpose.
Things do happen for a reason and sometimes divine intervention steps in. If you don’t believe in a higher power, than you can at least admit that there are things in this world that are much greater than who we are. Have the courage to take the step to the other ladder. Sure, you might be shoved towards it and it wasn’t where you thought you would or should be, but be open to the potential experience. Like Doc Graham in Field of Dreams, who walked away from baseball to become a Doctor, you too might be destined to make a different and sometimes larger impact in life by stepping over the white chalk line and embracing your destiny.
Go the distance….
#fieldofdreams #baseball #billybeane #religion #robertfrost #poetry #ladder
