The Breathe Water Story |
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Maurice Carter is a consultant, community builder, and writer with 34 years of leadership experience in Fortune 500 companies. He is also a passionate community volunteer and non-profit leader.
Through his professional experience and personal involvement in social causes, Maurice understands the challenges and opportunities presented by change. Breathe Water is his story... |
"You keeping your head above water?"
I didn't expect to see my boss on an elevator that day in 1992 when he asked that casual question. Our offices were four floors apart. I hadn't seen him in weeks. But, I gave a swift reply.
"Nah, I'm learning to breathe water."
It was a quick conversation ended when the doors opened to his floor. My quip was unrehearsed, but years later I still recall those words.
At 32, I was a decade into a marriage and a career. It was elevator small talk, but his question unleashed an "aha": there must be more to life than treading water to keep my head above it.
I didn't expect to see my boss on an elevator that day in 1992 when he asked that casual question. Our offices were four floors apart. I hadn't seen him in weeks. But, I gave a swift reply.
"Nah, I'm learning to breathe water."
It was a quick conversation ended when the doors opened to his floor. My quip was unrehearsed, but years later I still recall those words.
At 32, I was a decade into a marriage and a career. It was elevator small talk, but his question unleashed an "aha": there must be more to life than treading water to keep my head above it.
"They say that these are not the best of times, but they're the only times I've ever known."
-- Billy Joel, Summer Highland Falls, 1975
No one talks about the "good ol' days" in their twenties, when change is what we yearn for. We welcome adventure and accept uncertainty. But, along the way, we stop letting go of today and reaching for tomorrow; we lose our comfort with the unknown and cling to what's familiar. Change becomes that old friend from wilder days whose phone calls are now just too edgy to risk answering.
Conscious or not, individuals and organizations make a choice:
Conscious or not, individuals and organizations make a choice:
Tread Water to Survive or Breath Water and Thrive
That's not a literal statement. When humans inhale water, we die. But, treading water -- literally or figuratively -- we also eventually die. Arms and legs grow weary, the mind wanders, our head bobs beneath and out of the water, hope fades, and eventually surrender is our only relief.
What is this water anyway? It could be a fast-rising flood, swift currents of a rampaging river, or the stagnant scum of some cutoff backwater. Water symbolizes change. In our personal lives, perhaps it's the loss of a loved one or physical aging reminding us of mortality. Professionally, it can be technology or an economic shift suddenly opening doors for those bold enough to jump through, but rendering obsolete the business models and expertise of those staying behind. Socially, it could be changing times and shifting demographics that flip you from majority to a minority -- or vice versa -- in the place you've always lived.
I'm not talking about temporary inconveniences, but rather fundamental shifts that can sneak up silently or be thrust violently upon us. The kind that aren't going away -- the "New Normal" as its popularly called in our time.
Treading is a losing fight. Breathing water is not surrendering -- that's drowning. Breathing water is going beneath the surface with deliberate intent and a powerful will to thrive. It's understanding the depths of how things truly are and discovering a new visualization of success.
The writings included on this site were largely inspired by that instinct to dive deep beneath the surface of our times. Through blog posts, I'll give examples to illustrate the Breathe Water response to change. And, if you want to share that journey, check out the consulting we offer. The water feels great... Dive in!
