Yesterday was my son’s bachelor party. It was a great amount of fun but it started out completely wrong and there was a lesson to take away. The plan was for a group of friends to hire a fishing charter and spend the day out on the waters of Long Island and enjoy the day. The boat was reserved and we were all set to go.
We traveled 45 minutes to Eastern Long Island and arrived where the charter boat was docked . The captain informed us that it was too rough to go out on the water. Why he did not call one of the organizers of the day two hours earlier, before we drove all the way out there, was beyond all of us; surely not a good businessman.
No one quite understood why he would not go out, it was a beautiful day. Someone heard the captain say to one of the boat’s mates that he was leaving to go home and pack and he would be back Thursday. The captain was the first one out of the parking lot and he was gone. Maybe the water was not really that rough out there. Maybe this captain just did not want to go; something did not seem right.
After some friendly comments ‘riding’ the guys organizing the day and the suggestion of “let’s go pumpkin picking instead” being shot down immediately with laughter; the guys got to work. And I mean they got to work pretty quickly. I noticed at least 5 of them on cell phones calling to solve the problem and as it ended up, we had more than one choice what to do.
Within a matter of twenty minutes we were on the road to another boat waiting to take us out. We enjoyed a fabulous five hours of fishing with great friends. Seeing the sights of no less than ten other chartered boats out fishing in full force, I quickly came to the realization that our original captain just did not want to go out; but the reason no longer mattered to me.
Now these are my son’s friends and I have known many since kindergarten. Believe me when I tell you that not one of them in the group got angry at those organizing the day, no one pointed fingers at others; no, they got their cell phones out and started calling people. Within minutes the problem was solved. We ended up on a better boat, actually; and it was just a wonderful day ‘with the guys’.
While driving home, after it was over, and throughout the night; I just kept thinking how impressed I was at how they handled the situation. Not one bit of energy was spent or wasted on being negative; it was spent on solving the problem.
From this is a lesson we can all learn.
How many times, when someone says something or we end up at a dead-end, do we observe those who look to blame rather than solving the problem and move on? How much energy is wasted?
It’s important to also note that many of these young men have also been in the worst of situations laying their lives on the line saving others, and watching each others’ backs, when battling a fire or battling a storm called Sandy. Maybe because of these situations they are better trained than I, and completely realize that it is better to get the job done than just sit around and waste good and precious energy.
It was nice to be asked to be included yesterday, but it was I that learned a very valuable lesson from these young men. It’s a good reminder for all of us; there is just too much work to do than to waste time or energy on anything but the problem at hand.
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