Recently I was traveling with a colleague and we had an early flight to return home to Nashville, Tennessee. We arrived at the airport in Los Angeles at some incredibly before sun-up early time of the morning and as soon as we passed through the TSA checkpoint, my partner said, “I need some coffee!”
Fortunately, as we rounded the corner we saw the familiar Starbucks green and white mermaid logo. It was too early for a smile to come across her face, but her body turned in the direction of the store in the distance and
her pace picked up. But before we could get too much further we encountered the end of a very long line. It seems that my friend was not the only one in need of a caffeine jolt.
As she approached the line, she asked the woman standing near the tail, “Is this the end of the line?” Her startled response was, “I don’t even know what this line is for.” Nevertheless, my friend got in line and I wandered off towards the gate to wait for the flight.
As I walked on, it struck me that the woman we’d spoken too was standing in a very long line and had no idea
why, or what the benefit or standing there would be!
This was incredible to me. But as I considered it further, I wondered how often this might be the case. How often do we figuratively stand in a line to get something without really knowing what it is, or without even being certain that it’s something we want or need?
Is there something genetically or psychologically inbred in us that makes us attracted to a line? This long and winding implement of our civility takes us places and often delivers us to something that we want to consume or experience. Is there an irresistible allure to the concept of waiting in line?
Or, is the value the value of that product or experience we want worth the investment of standing in the line? Is it that important to us, really? Could we get what we want at a “lower price” if we arrived at a different time?
And, do we even know why we are standing in the line in the first place?
Are we pursuing someone else’s dream, or our own? Are we waiting for someone to leave a job so that we can get a promotion? and do we want it anyway? Do we really want that coffee? or are we just in the habit of stopping by Starbucks on the way to the office. Do we keep going in to that corporate gig, knowing that our vision and calling is for an entrepreneurial venture? Do we say yes to working on a project or joining a board just because we were asked, when we know it’s not a great fit?
Are we standing in a lengthy line without a clue where it’s going or what the benefit is? The woman we met at the airport certainly was.
Periodically, I tell folks I’m with that I don’t stand in lines. I’m not even half joking.
If I only learned one thing in my first semester at Morehouse College, it was that there is marginal value in
waiting in a protracted line. After several hours in the hot Georgia sun, the computers went down and several of
the classes that I wanted were already full. Despite standing in a very long line, I had to go back to the registrar’s office later in the week to complete my registration for classes. Never again!
From that experience, I learned that I could find other ways to get the classes that I needed to graduate on time – including the class times and professors that I preferred. Finding another route to go made me more thoughtful and determined and strategic about what I was trying to accomplish. It made me better.
So why not find your own path, and go your own way? Design your own destiny. Dream Big, Then Execute – with
intention, and purpose and focus.
Too many of your friends and family just get into the nearest line they see. That’s not where your dreams are… follow them at your peril.
Your ambitions are on a road less traveled. The road may be harder, but you can bet the lines are shorter too.
And if you do that, I’ll tell you what; call me. I’ll join you for coffee in the morning.