A Ship is Safe in a Harbor

It was a crisp night in New York – one where I didn’t prefer to have my hands out of my pockets for more than two minutes traversing the streets. Given my erroneous anti airpod stance of the past half decade, I rarely have them on me. So, when I got a call from a tennis manager I work(ed) with, I answered with my long and susceptible-to-cold fingers.

I needed to give him an important update, which I had relayed over email. The punch line was I had found a job based in Chicago. And would be unable to do the weekly clinic I had been teaching.

We exchanged some quick stories – he highlighting that his son worked in the restaurant industry in Chicago. I exclaimed “it’s going to be a big shift” and “a challenge.” And then he said something to me, I had never heard before, that absolutely stopped me in my tracks as I approached the loud and active Union Square area. This is a summarized version of how it went from memory:

Him: “Well, a ship is safe in a harbor but that’s not where it’s supposed to be.”

Me: “Wait, what. What does that mean? I’ve never heard that before.”

Him: “It’s an old saying. Google it. I forget it exactly. Some famous philosopher said it a long time ago. Point being a ship is going to be fine at port but is supposed to be in the water doing whatever it’s supposed to do.”

Me: “Wow, [Insert Name]. I’m going to remember that one forever. I love it.”

It carried on for a little bit. But the seasoned tennis and person he was; he seemed to make it clear that challenges should be welcomed and being too comfortable isn’t always a good thing. It stuck. In a big way. Some people welcome change. Some people hate change. And of course it depends what it is. I’ve seen people be most protective over their desks and office space (when we used to be in the office). Don’t move me you b****. What they think, not what they say.

In all seriousness, I had been in finance (a word I hate), or investment banking (a profession I was never proud of) for ten years, and an opportunity came about to help run a logistics company. Something completely new. Completely different. And not in New York. It was the triple whammy. And while it was a very hard decision to take the plunge and take the boat out to sea, it was the right decision. Whether it is a success or failure, life needs to be about facing adversity, exploring new places, meeting new people, trying new things, and yes, learning to be a little bit uncomfortable sometimes.

We can’t control how we grow. Our growth spurts. Our body decides when and how we should grow. However, once your growth stops in your late teens and early 20s, it’s on us to decide how much you want to grow after that. Personally, professionally. The world we live in now makes it so incredibly easy to not step out of your comfort zone and have uncomfortable encounters. You can do just about anything from a couch with a phone. Are you growing if that’s how you operate? I’m not judging, but the answer is no.

I’ve always been a big believer in trying new things. It’s mostly been for the good, but of course sometimes, there have been swings and misses. It happens. There are a lot of sayings about learning from mistakes so I’ll spare the list or the quotes. But we’ve all heard them. Some of these idioms and expressions exist for a reason.

So I’m encountering on a journey that will be different and new. But ever since I was a second-year analyst, I have been trying to look for a strategic way out of banking, and it took over ten years, but I’ve finally found it. Let’s hope I find it rewarding out on the water, in the deep blue sea.

----

The original quote was from John A. Shedd in 1928 –

“A ship in a harbour is safe but that is not what ships are built for"