The Window of Opportunity

Over the years I have experienced various obstacles to my workout routine. I recall once when I was in Tampa, Florida, for a seminar. At seven o’clock I stepped out of my hotel to do my walking but, unfortunately, it was raining. The good news is that there was a parking garage attached to the hotel, so I headed there to take my walk. Needless to say, I prefer to walk outdoors where I can see things as I go, but walking in a covered garage beats getting wet, and certainly beats not walking at all.

I had been enjoying my walk and planning my talk for about 25 minutes when I suddenly noticed that the rain had stopped. I hurried outside to take advantage of that window of opportunity and had made it about a block and a half when the rain returned. I headed back to the covered garage and continued my walk–and the planning of my talk.

As I reflect on my activity that morning, I had no idea how long it would continue to rain or how long the break in the rain would last. However, I do believe that too many people wait for everything to be “just right” before they do anything, and they often miss out on life’s opportunities.

The second little lesson I learned on that walk is that in a parking garage you follow the incline to the top. It’s more difficult to walk up but to develop endurance you’ve got to go uphill. To go up in the business world or, for that matter, in the academic or political world, you frequently have to experience difficulty as you go. Without the difficulty you never develop the mental sharpness and physical strength which are necessary to succeed. Somebody once said that the only way to the mountaintop is through the valley. When you encounter those “mountains,” just remember that the climbing will enable you to climb the next one higher and faster, which ultimately means I will SEE YOU AT THE TOP!