On the Shoulders of Giants - Lessons from 100 Stories Above Ground Zero

9/11. You know exactly where you were when the news broke. As a nation, we will never forget. The world will never forget.

While attending a convention in New York City earlier this week, I received a vague message from our CEO, "Meet downstairs at 4:30 PM."

The Question

Four-thirty rolled around and I arrived punctually. Two other members of our executive team--who were also in town--had received the summons to convene at our rendezvous point. There we stood at door 1B of the Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. Without small talk our CEO Cameron, pulled out his phone as he leaned against the wall and read to us,

"What does it mean to you to be able to see into the future, to see far enough ahead to know you're making the right decisions today that will impact tomorrow's, tomorrow?"

We stood in silence. Cameron led us to a car he had waiting. Once inside he broke the silence and informed us that our team would be journeying to the new Freedom Tower to watch the sun set on Manhattan as the city lights flickered to life.

On top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, we stood, solemnly gazing down at the memorials built where the Twin Towers once stood--off to our right Lady Liberty stood tall, a beacon of freedom in the darkness of the night. We remembered all that transpired and how, out of tragedy, this country was able to rise up.

We are faced with giants every day. Some shake us, others define us. Standing on the corner of One World Trade Center, all you can see is a massive feat of engineering towering over you. When you reach the top you see the entire city, thousands of architectural masterpieces joined together to create one iconic skyline. 

Your Giant Isn't as Big, When You Climb It

Daily we get caught up in trying to climb over the mountains that seem to be blocking our paths, preventing us from moving forward. Yet, in life's rare moments when we are able to climb to the top of those mountains and stand on the shoulders of those giants, we see that all around us the world is still moving forward. The lights that line the horizon are the countless defining moments in our life that make us who we are.

Instead of embracing challenge, we often cower in the shadows. Sitting at the top of that tower, our team reflected back on our lives, on the decisions we were making daily that impacted our company, shareholders and customers. We took a moment to get out of the hustle and bustle, the sirens and horns and look at everything from a different perspective. Life was still going on below, but for a moment we escaped to look at the bigger picture, the greater unfolding story.

Tomorrow's, Tomorrow

Today, my challenge to you is take some time to soar above the noise, chaos and busyness that so often consumes us. Know that the giant looming over you is just another milestone, another skyscraper that you will one day be able to climb and look to and realize it was an integral part of shaping your life's skyline.

We so often don't look past what's happening around us today and right now. What if we shifted our perspective? What if we made decisions based on tomorrow's tomorrow? What if we were able to look so far past the giants of today? What if we simply realized that they are just an instrumental part in making us who we are for today, tomorrow and tomorrow's tomorrow.