“In 1952, young Florence Chadwick stepped into the waters of the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island, determined to swim to the shore of California. She’d already been the first woman to swim the English Channel both ways. The weather was foggy and chilly; she could hardly see the boats accompanying her.  Still, she swam for fifteen hours. When she begged to be taken out of the water along the way, her mother, in a boat alongside, told her she was close and could make it. Finally, physically and emotionally exhausted, she stopped swimming and was pulled out.  It wasn’t until she was on the boat that she discovered the shore was less than a half a mile away.  At the news conference the next day she said, “All I could see was fog…I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.” Story by Randy Alcorn.

Consider the words: “I think if I could have seen the shore, I would have made it.” A few thoughts; She had a goal. She was prepared. She was underway. She had been in this situation before having felt the pain but she could not see the shore. All seafarers long to see land because it is easy to get swallowed up in the vast emptiness of the ocean.  

Likewise, it is easy to get swallowed up in the vastness of our daily life.

We are approaching the end of the first quarter of 2023. My resolutions and goals are a mess. I am no where near the land, I don’t think. I better look. The advantage I have is that I can blow away the fog.  You can to.

The best ways to do that usually involves another person. My manager/broker, by spouse, my accountability partner, etc.. If only Florence had of listened to her Mother that day.  Don’t do this business or life for that matter alone. Get a fresh perspective.

Then adjust. Manage your life in shorter bursts of quarters, not annually.  Some things need to be managed by the week, month, but no longer than a quarter. If Florence had seen the shore, there would have been a surge of excitement and strength. Strong self-talk would have kicked in.  Maybe a slight course correction and she may have walked ashore at Long Beach. However, in the fog, blinded from her objective, when her body had enough, she quit. 

Why don’t we do this together, fog or not?

If you need help, contact me at bmckinon@exitrealty.com

Written By Bob McKinnon, Director of Leadership Development EXIT Realty Corp. International