Each Thursday I select a Viking quote, sometimes randomly but ofttimes based upon relevance or meaning to my life at that point in time. Despite these phrases being over a thousand years old I believe most can still offer value in modern society and I find it interesting to ponder, weigh and measure them. original im src
The brave man well shall fight and win, though dull his blade may be - Fafnismal 28
Today I jumped off a steppingstone I'd landed on late last year and in a week or so I'll be leaping onto another, a little further out in the stream. I refer to today being my last day of employment with one company and my move to another.
Arriving at the last job, the one I ended today, heralded a new beginning for me as it was a complete shift away from an industry I'd worked in for twenty years to an industry I didn't know. The learning curve was steep, and it took a great deal of effort to learn the fundamentals then deepen my technical knowledge. I brought along many attributes required for the role and had the ability to acquire the other elements or I wouldn't have gotten the job, but it was a lot of work and I had to dig deep to make it happen.
Moving to the new role in a couple of weeks will see another shift and bring another set of challenges to face; it's the same industry although a different segment of it, more trucking and transport logistics oriented than manufacture and service.
My role is in management, business development to be precise and I was head-hunted for the new role, by a recruiter interstate. I went through an interview process though, the first of which went for two hours; a solid interview. There were six interviewed in total and I won the role. Moving forward I'll have some learning to do although the curve isn't going to be as steep, it'll still push me however and I'll have to fight for the ground I gain, I'll have to apply effort.
I chose this Viking quote today as it felt relevant to me personally, and not just the recent job change. It talks about fighting, blades and winning and there's been times in my life in which that aspect of the quote were relevant I guess, however it says more than that to me.
I read it to mean that a person, with the right mindset and attitude, can achieve outstanding results despite not having the attributes or be as equipped as others.
I don't believe in the, you can do anything you set your mind to do paradigm because it's untrue.
You can set your mind to be me as much as you like but nothing will make it so right? However, you can achieve your realistic and achievable goals with the right mindset, attitude and actions. I say realistic and achievable because setting unrealistic and unachievable goals is setting oneself up for failure; unachievable goals are called that for a reason.
It wasn't long ago that I was an expert in my field and felt comfortable in the role. I wasn't overly happy with it though, maybe I was simply bored or felt stale, but I wanted a change.
I thought things through and kept circling back to what I was, an expert in my field, but couldn't see outside of that space. I was limiting myself out of...common sense? Fear? Uncertainty? I'm yet to determine exactly why.
But eventually, the person I am, have always been, kicked my own ass around somewhat and I began to see what I was doing, the limiting thoughts and attitude. That was when I stood the fuck up and made something happen. I knew I wasn't going to be suited to every industry, but also knew myself, that I was a fighter, worked hard, persisted, refused to quit and wanted to be the best I could be. It didn't matter that my blade may be duller than some other person's, I'd just strike with more force, use my other attributes, cunning, smarts, ingenuity and so on. I wanted to win, my new role, and I did and have subsequently won the most recent also.
In my mentoring role over the years I've taught some of the concepts I've learned throughout life, the ones that have brought results, and I was often asked what the key is, the silver bullet so to speak.
How can I ensure success, they'd ask.
I usually said, fail a lot, with a smile, and then I'd elaborate. I sometimes said, attitude, or passion, a compelling reason to succeed, and then the conversation would flow into the various elements and concepts around those core things. Mindset and tenacity can be included I think, as the Vikings allude to in the quote above.
I've been in many fights, some I'll repeat and some none but those who were there will ever know about. I've had to find bravery and courage to affect a result and one thing is always present right before that happens; fear. It's no different now, I still fear things.
The fear of failure. The fear of ridicule. The fear of judgement. The fear of loss. The fear of missing out. The fear of being different. There's many different fears a human can harbour. What's common to them all though, is that without the right mindset and attitude they win.
I'm far from the smartest man and neither am I the most skilled, strongest, most handsome, funny, talented or engaging. No...I'm a blunt instrument, amazingly average and nothing at all special. But I fight, and am good at it. I don't know when to quit, but know when to adapt, overcome and pivot to new strategies. I don't always have the right mindset and attitude but know when I do not and make the required changes. I don't always win, but know how to learn from my failures. My blade is not the sharpest, but I find the courage to wield it nonetheless.
That's it for this week, a thousand year-old Viking quote that suggests by having the right mindset a person can achieve great things despite not being as adept at others.
In the comments below, please feel free to disagree with my interpretation and add your own if you like, tell a story around this quote or general topic or simply react to it and let me know what you think, how you see it, how it relates to you or someone you know.
Skol.
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default - Tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind
