First in a series of posts inspired by Seth Godin’s Linchpin.
A few years back a bunch of advertising-displaced friends reunited for a whitewater rafting trip. I came from New York. Three others came from Boston. One lived in Vegas. And we all descended on my former partner in Chattanooga, who was to be our river guide.
I was the only one who had never been on class-anything rapids. The extent of my paddling experience amounted to a canoe trip down Boston’s docile, capless Charles River. And for the most part, my lack of water legs didn’t slow us down any.
For the most part.
I don’t know if this particular stretch of river was class 4 or 5 or 73, but we somehow ended up on top of a rock. A big one. With lots of other big rocks in every direction. And water rushing so violently around us that I couldn’t hear the guys screaming from two feet away. Their lips moved, but all I heard was “wwwssssssssssshhhhhhhhh.”
I got out of the boat and stood on the rock. I lost my shit. I froze. If this was a sitcom, someone would have slapped me in face and yelled “get a hold of yourself man!”
It was that bad.
To me, this was a lose-lose. Get back in the boat and the current launches us into rocks and we die. Stand paralyzed on the rock, and eventually I’d wither from heat exhaustion and starvation and die.
What they were screaming was, Get in the front of the boat and lean forward!
Lean forward?
Yes, lean forward!
But forward is where the rocks are!
The current will pull us away from them!
But the current is what put us up here!
Get back in the fucking boat before it takes off and knocks you in!
We’re gonna die!
It went against every instinct I had to get in the front of an inflatable raft, pointed directly at jagged rocks, and lean forward. But the experience of those who had done it before told me my instincts were wrong. Somehow, I got back in. Somehow, I leaned forward. And somehow, I’m here today to write about it.
There’s a parable here. Starting a business, leaving what’s comfortable, entering the unknowns of your life — jagged rocks, all of them. You can sit at your temporary resting place, collect your paycheck and merely exist, hoping the current settles down.
Or you can look all around you and trust the wisdom of those who have been there before. Think the baker on the corner didn’t risk everything to open his pastry shop? Think Steve Jobs didn’t endure a few lumps to become Mr. Apple?
In his new book, Seth Godin says linchpins bring the ability to lean. “He can find a new solution to a problem that has caused others to quit,” he writes.
People take risks every day. Some of them work out. Some of them don’t. But the biggest risk is stasis. To do nothing is to rot. To be stationary is to die.
Lean forward.
11 Comments
Too bad those poor bastards in Deliverance didn’t have this great blog post to inspire them to lean forward and continue down the river.
Thanks for this.
Since loosing my “permanent” corporate position in July, I have paid the bills with a combination of temp jobs a freelance projects. I am amazed after a week or two of getting up in the morning and heading to an office for a temp job how easy it is to slip into that routine.
Then the assignment comes to an end and I have to remember to lean forward.
You forgot to mention that the boat had a hole in it. Not sure what that does to your metaphor.
Great post! I need these sorts of reminders during this transition period. As Stephen said, it is way too easy to fall back into that routine. Keep it coming, Erik.
Excellent post, Erik! Love it.
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Erik,
Great metaphor for the current economy and opportunities that it presents. Thanks for bringing us Lemonade and showing us how so many others have leaned forward…it’s inspirational.
All the Best,
Chandlee
Wow, I love this. For much of my life, I’ve waited. “Oh, technology? Business models? ROI? Art? Pshaw, I’ll let the other guy figure it out.” But there is a fundamental shift that occurs when you lean into something instead of running away. You’re not saying “dive headfirst recklessly”. But “lean forward” — that is exactly what gets you in.
I am still not convinced that I should go rafting, but I certainly will lean forward. Your post came right on time. Thanks for sharing your story.
I’m definitely leaning forward and it’s scary – I gave up a job, a home and a twenty year relationship to move to New Mexico. When I feel overwhelmed I’m going to picture the merry bank of white water rafters.
Wow perfect for those of us to get off the rock and jump in with both feet (even if our dreams have a hole in them), I hope looking back a year from now I say God I am so glad I leaned forward.
Thanks so much for sharing!
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