We had the opportunity to spend a week in August one summer on Martha’s Vineyard. The how this happened is a whole other story. It was a few years ago, wait, oh crap, it was over twenty years ago! Time really waits for no one.
Dr. Patty Ann, me, and our four kids, all under eight years old at the time, plus two other people. There were eight of us all together for one week in this really lovely home. Now don’t get me wrong, Martha’s Vineyard is a special place and this was our first visit. It was also our last visit. If you get right down to it, we are really Jersey Shore people. Take it however you want to take it.
After one of our full days at the beach and everyone was all cleaned up and dinner was just about finished, one of our sons realized he left his special ring at the beach. Now how this became a special ring already who knows as he had won it at one of those spring time carnival fund raisers playing a few games where you knock down the stuffed animal throwing baseballs just a couple of months ago.
Now the sun had set already. It seemed like an interesting game to play. “Hey kids, what do you think, let’s go to the beach with a couple of flashlights and see if we might find treasure! Bryan’s ring! Who’s in?”
My wife thought it was a nutty idea but she joined us as we all went back to the beach. My plan was to ask for landmarks he might recall and create a square of where he may have been hanging out. Then we would all line up and slowly inspect across and up and down the square. “Yes, I was by that rock. Yes, I think the old wooden bench too.” Slowly we marked out the square to conduct our search.
If we spent fifteen minutes it was at least one hour or two. No luck.
On the drive back to the house Bryan asked if we could take a look in the morning when it was light out. “Okay, we should go first thing in the morning though before anyone else comes to the beach and destroys our square.”
Everyone was up early and wanted to see what we would find at the beach. Even Dr. Patty Ann! We arrived at the beach before anyone else. There was the square we had outlined. The rock over there just outside the line. The old wooden bench over on the other side of the square.
As we walked together across the square something glimmered on top of the rock. Bryan walked over and right there on top of the rock was his special ring. Right on top of the rock where he must have left it to go swimming. The rock was barely one foot outside of the square we outlined to search based upon his memory and the darkness we were all working in.
Everyone was amazed at how close we actually were to finding the treasure last night.
Even Dr. Patty Ann was impressed – not easy to do by the way. Here is my question. How often have you been searching for something – an answer – a solution – the right person – advice and the answer is either right there in front of you or so close to you and you just don’t see it?
You might be blinded by old habits or old thinking. You might be stuck in the way everyone has always done something. Take the time to shed some light on the situation. The answer is usually close by or right there in front of you.
Mitch Tublin is the CEO and Founder of Wenkroy International LLC a boutique consulting company with a main focus on Strategic Business Consulting, Training and Business Coaching. Our passion is to take people to the next level in their life and in their business.
