Daunting tasks are achieved incrementally. Lao Tzu once said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." For Shackleton, the journey to South Georgia began with setting sail. Throughout the voyage, the crew focused not on the final destination, but they focused on what they were facing at the time: "Instead, life was reckoned in periods of a few hours, or possibly only a few minutes-- an endless succession of trials leading to deliverance from the particular hell of the moment."
The men were free of expectations and limitations of civilized society, so they did not need to focus on the final goal. They thought about whether they could get over this next wave, whether they could kill this seal, whether they could make camp, and every small goal accomplished was an absolute victory for them. Every little bit helped, and there were no qualifications for goals.They knew that every wave passed, every camp successfully made, and every night weathered would be personally celebrated in regard to the fact they they weren't dead.
One similarity to this concept is the plot of Forrest Gump. In the movie, Forrest had small goals that were made on the spot and used his natural ability to run, whether it was running for a touchdown or saving Bubba in Vietnam. The small goals earned him many rewards, such as meeting with the president. Whether the final goal is achieving fame or surviving in the Arctic, small goals add up to large victories.
I like how this is organized. You did a very nice job, and it was easy to follow your traing of thought and expression of ideas.
ReplyDelete