Notes to team: A ship is safe at shore
I occasionally write notes to my team. I do it mainly for inspiration and motivation. I think that they are generally quite useful, so I thought I would share them.
---
I read a quote at the weekend that I thought I would share: “A ship is always safe at shore but that is not what it’s built for.” Aside from the lovely rhyme, I thought it was a nice theme for what we do and something to remember on a Monday morning.
As with all quotes, how they’re interpreted is up to the reader; my initial thought on this one was that it had something to do with being risk-averse, but it probably goes a little deeper than that – it was Einstein who uttered it, after all.
I think it’s about understanding that ships aren’t made to stand still where they have no purpose; they’re built to take things from one place to another. Way back, it was to go to places no-one had ever been before. To discover things.
On their path to discovery, their journey is hardly ever easy. More ups and downs than the waves they cross, with danger from the minute it departs the port, from stormy seas to pirates.
I think it’s relevant to what we do. Sure, you can probably say this is fair to life generally, but for what we try to do when we come to work every Monday, it’s very much relevant. We can come in and stay safe in what we do – keep our head down and tick the box of being here, doing a job, and go home, collect a wage and spend it on shit. Or, we can do what we’re actually here for, and what makes us all want to be in a creative role and hopefully, find that little bit of purpose to what we do. To ‘set sail’, discover new ideas, make new things. It won’t always be easy, and it won’t always be quick. But it’s what makes us move forward and do good things.
It’s what we’re built for.
There are two things I absolutely love to do in life. One is to eat good quality food, the other one is to make them. I am working my way up to achieve the latter. 100% dedicated, passionate, and open to learning.
4yI can absolutely relate when thinking about those times I spent at workplace several years ago, in my home country. Fingerprint check-in, bury my head into same old lame tasks, fingerprint check-out. Almost everyday was the repetitive song of one after another. And I used to think maybe it was good for the training of self-endurance and intellect but a year was blown away and things kept repeating. It would have been repeating for years if I hadn’t quit. So I quit and indulge myself in the new, more challenging environment. Even though sometimes doubt and frustration were on the way, like the ship you say, it’s never gonna be easy. I think if it’s going to be easy, it’s never gonna be fun and compelling enough to drag you out of bed and be present at work everyday. Thanks for your inspiring note.