Time to Mend Your Nets!
Recently I was thinking about my days in Uruguay and my many walks along the sea.
One afternoon, I met a man with hands that looked as if they had worked many years beyond their hosts' smile. As I talked to the man with my broken Spanish and his eager English he would stop from time to time to visit with people as the walked passed. He seemed to know everyone in town. As I more and more about his life he then related how the events of his life had unfolded over the years.
He told me when he first started out as a young man, he worked on a fishing boat. He had no experience and was simply trying to make a living. He told how he would go out on the fishing boat with the different crews trying to catch fish to sell to the local restaurants and fish markets. Over the years he noticed some things. The nets had some holes in them and oftentimes some of the catch would inadvertently be lost. When the weather was bad the seas got too rough to fish, the boats had to stay closer to shore and often caught fewer fish. Occasionally, the boats would have engine problems and the crews would experience “down times” while the boats were being repaired. To make matters worse, many of the men would simply sit at home or on a “Fishermans holiday”, waiting for the repairs to be complete. As a result, much time and money were lost.
Eventually, the man had saved enough money to purchase his own boat. He said all the lessons and personal experience he had previously learned while working on other boats served him well. He told me about how he learned to work smarter and fish smarter.
When the weather got bad or when the seas were rough, rather than looking at the situation as “downtime”, he would work on his boat, repairing any damage to the boat or any engine problems. He also said his main focus was to mend the nets because that is where they made their most money. He wanted to be sure none of the catch was lost. This simple idea kept him profitable, very profitable! In time he was able to purchase additional boats and his business began to grow.
He said, “When the weather cleared up, people returned to work. They started repairing and mending their nets, I was already out at sea bringing in a huge catch!” He had already repaired his boats and mended his nets during the downtimes. While other people were on “holiday”, wasting time because they were unable to go out fishing. He said, “I learned that when I could not go to work because of challenging or hard circumstances, that was the best time of all to mend my nets and prepare myself for when I could eventually go back to work! Storms and rough seas do not last forever. Things always turn around and when they do, I wanted to be ready to expand my business!” In a word he had discovered the secret to the fishing industry, “Mend your nets!”
Right now, it is a difficult time for the whole world. The pandemic we are experiencing seems to be affecting everyone to some degree. Whether it is financial, physical, relational or political — we are all being touched in some manner. Let me encourage you to do what you can during this downtime to “mend your nets”.
Maybe it is cleaning out your attic or basement. There are people in need of clothes and other supplies in your city. Get them ready to distribute. Maybe you need to finish writing that book you wanted to write so badly. Or finish reading the book you started last year. Maybe you simply need to learn how to create an inspirational live video.
During this time, I am learning how to uplevel our training materials and coaching programs!
Whatever you want to learn, I can assure you there are hundreds of YouTube videos and Google finds for any topic you can imagine. Just don’t sit around feeling scared and sorry for yourself. Mend your nets! Take on a project you need or want to do and do it!
One of the underlying lessons of Principles of Success for you to consider. I learned that successful people are those who simply make themselves do the things other people are not willing to do. While others are spending this time being afraid or wondering what is going to happen next, why not make a list of things you can do to improve your life or business during this Prep time.
Now is the time to step up and move forward, soon we will have blue skies and calm ~ be ready.
Eric G Reid
Success Coach and speaker, Eric G Reid. is the founder of Success Life Inc. and SuccessLifeU.com. Eric G Reid specializes in helping people and teams better understand themselves and others and create Success.
