Throw Off the Bowlines

"I like quotes." -- Pat Harrigan

Well, I do like quotes. Not just the pop culture stuff I wrote about a while ago, but also the pearls of wisdom from various writers and thinkers over the years. Maybe it's the engineer in me: Invent something if you have to, to get the job done, but it's better to use or adapt what's already been invented. If someone's already shared a Deep Thought, well, you've got a head start on being smart.


A Deep Thought I've been considering recently is courtesy of (or at least attributed to) Mark Twain: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

I love that. It's really the same instruction as "Just Do It" or "Carpe Diem", but it tells you why, and the why rings true. Think back on your last twenty years: is the first regret you think of "I wish I hadn't...", or is it "I wish I had..."?


Let's continue with Twain's metaphor. Sometimes a harbor is a good place to be, like during a storm. And when the storm has passed you might need a little time to regroup, and your crew will, too. But you shouldn't wait too long, or grow too comfortable tied up to the dock -- you're meant to be out sailing, right? Even if there are risks, including another possible storm?


I'm trying to figure out what my bowlines are. What things am I doing now, just because I've always done them and they're comfortable? (Some are probably good to continue, of course, like "work for a living" or "wear pants".) What adventure or experience or other good thing have I been passing up as a result, or am I missing out on now? And not just me, but my crew here at home? How might I finish these: "I've always wanted to...", or "It'd be great for the kids to...", or "I could really help people by..."? And once I figure those out, I've just got to get to it.


I'll leave this entry a bit short, since I can't think of anything more useful to add to Mr. Twain's words. So how about you: what would you regret not doing, twenty years from now? Well?



Pat