Find a New Wind

Today is July 2nd and 6-months from today will be January 2nd.  Those are two stated facts as of the writing of this blog post.  It is basic math that cannot be argued.  Another point that can’t be argued is this; if you keep doing what you're doing today, you’ll receive the same results in 6-months as you are receiving today.  Fact.

That means if you're complaining about your weight, health, income, or just hate your job; well you will be complaining about the same and hating the same in 6-months.  So stop and think a moment.  What do you complain about that you have the power to change?  What one decision can you make today that will change your path and start to better your life?  

Jimmy Dean said, “I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination.”  This week I watched Wind, a 1992 film starring Matthew Modine and Jennifer Grey.  The movie was about sailing and particularly the 1987 America’s Cup race.  A real page turner you say?  I would agree, but there were some teaching moments in the movie.

One scene showed the US and Australian vessels sitting calmly in the water.  The wind was still and  the two boats bobbed in the waves with no movement.  See the wind had died and they were just sitting there accepting it riding the waves up and down.  Surely you see the comparison to complaining about problems and just riding through life, year after year, with little to no change.

Jennifer Grey’s character spots wind blowing in the distance and the US crew slowly maneuvers their boat toward the wind, lifts their sail, and takes off.  Before the wind reaches the Australian's the US has a four boat lead.  They didn't wait for conditions to change or become favorable, they saw how to put themselves in a better position and then did it.  They made a change.

The other thing that struck me was how in sailing, to move forward, you are constantly tacking and making side to side steerings to catch the wind and move forward.  The crew is constantly monitoring the wind and ocean in anticipation of their next pivot to continue forward movement.  They were being proactive and never taking their eyes off the finish line.  

So the movie, while not great, was time well spent as I thought about the next 6-months.  What will you change before January 1, 2021?  Go out today and find new wind.