Don’t Miss The Boat
A Reminder to Be Your Own Advocate
I stood there and watched as the boat pulled away with him on it. Don't worry, this isn't a story about the boy that got away, this is just the story of the boy that was on a boat that I should have been on. Well actually, that's not true, it wasn't my turn to be on it nor was it his. He should have been standing back and watching with me. But he wasn't. He was on the boat. He had a tendency to do things like that, be in boats he didn't belong in or earn the right to be in simply by showing up, introducing himself, or putting himself out there. Those were metaphorical boats but this story is about a real boat. The reason we both wanted to be on there doesn't matter, the point is that this was an opportunity. It was a moment to be a part of something big and special and I missed it.
I stood there with sweat dripping down my face - at least I assume there was sweat - it was Guatemala and probably 90 degrees out but to be honest it was like 7 years ago so the memory is fuzzy but I do recall distinctly thinking about how unfair it was that he got to be there and I didn't. Now, 7 years later, I realize that maybe he did deserve to be there. We were both on the same trip, given the same opportunity to meet the same people, and yet he walked right up to the owner and founder of the organization and introduced himself. He made himself known in a way that - at the time - I was never good at.
I wonder how many opportunities I've missed out on simply by not stepping out. The moment the founder invited him in I remember thinking 'you've got to be kidding me.' I wanted to hate him for getting something he didn't deserve but he was also next to the boat, primed and ready for the invitation, whereas I was about 30 feet back, watching someone else take the opportunity I could have easily had. There may be times when you choose to step back and let someone else take the ride because that one wasn't right for you or maybe you just wanted them to have that one - those moments help us grow which allow us to be ready for other opportunities. Those times are good, but I'm not talking about those times. I'm talking about the times when you need to be your own advocate.
When you're younger, if you're lucky, you have lots of people that advocate for you; your parents, teachers, coaches, grandparents, aunts, uncles… you've got people in your corner. The older you get, those people may not be around anymore for one reason or another. Even if they still cheer you on it's usually from a distance. So if you want to take advantage of what's out there, you need to put yourself out there right in the middle of it.
Jim Elliot said "wherever you are, be all there." Let that be your mantra. Be. All. There. Take your headphones off. Say hello to the host. Walk up to the boss at the holiday party. When someone offers help, say yes. Raise. Your. Hand. These are easy and yet often overlooked ways to create a potential opportunity for yourself. Jon Acuff calls them Boomerangs. He says they're connections that you make and throw out like a Boomerang. You don't know if or when it will come back but we know for certain that it can't come back if you don't throw it.
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