“Reasonable people adapt themselves to the world. Unreasonable people persist in trying to adapt the world to themselves. Therefore, all progress depends on unreasonable people.”
-George Bernard Shaw [adapted]
The STORY
Our daughter Evie got married two weekends ago. She wanted a ‘beach wedding’. She got it- wind, sand, and all.
In truth, it was lovely. Even the breezes calmed for the ceremony. It was lots of fun, and for most part, near perfection.
Before to the “I do’s” however, there was a TON of work! Especially for us as parents of the bride. And within the few hours prior, emerging conditions demanded several ‘shifts’ to pull it off.
For me, wedding day itself was pretty simple. All I was put ‘in charge’ of was mimosas, sangrias, and margaritas. See any pattern here?
My wife, however, ended up running much more of the show than she’d anticipated.
· We’d planned a one-day affair to keep things ‘simple’ (Ha!). In other words, rehearsal in the morning, ceremony on the beach at 6 PM.
For some reason, the person intended to orchestrate the day didn’t show for rehearsal. Suzette bounced from rehearsal brunch “chef de cuisine” to wedding planner.
The rehearsal…and brunch…came off without a hitch.
· We had all the flowers flown in from Ecuador. To ensure we had them ‘in hand’ before our travels to the beach, they’d been cut and shipped 8 days before the big day.
Despite our best efforts to keep ‘em fresh and vibrant, it was clear the morning of the wedding that the originally-anticipated arrangements wouldn’t ‘cut it’.
Suzette pivoted- totally redesigning how the flowers were assembled. They looked AMAZING.
· Suzette had also volunteered to prepare and craft the wedding cake. All was prepped and [supposedly] ready to go.
The reception was outdoors. We knew the cake couldn’t be set in place until just before cutting due to the humidity. What we didn’t anticipate however, was the continual opening (and leaving open) of the massive sliding doors connecting inside to out.
The cake began to melt…and tilt.
Mired within hundreds of details of final before-ceremony wedding prep (including getting herself ready as mother-of-the-bride), Suzette rallied her ‘troops’ and sequestered an alternate cake-friendly location.
The cake and its ceremonial cutting were…perfect.
The BIG Idea
Suzette and I have been together for a LONG time. And decade after decade, she’s never stopped amazing me. Watching her pull things together for Evie’s wedding in spite of the ‘twists and turns’ simply accelerated my admiration.
In the bigger picture- it continually intrigues me how, when your heart and intentions are in the right place, the need to overcome emergent challenges brings forces together that generate better-than-imagined solutions and results.
For example, the best part of a wedding is the memories it creates. This is why we pay expensive photographers and videographers- to help us ‘re-live’ the experience years into the future.
Other than [perhaps] the few minutes of actual ceremony, I have no doubt that when we tell our stories of Evie’s and Ashley’s day, the most-told tales by those of us behind-the-scenes will be the shifting, pivoting, and bouncing required to successfully pull off what moments prior had presented as potential catastrophes.
Your OPPORTUNITY
When the world throws curves (as it always has and always will), success generates from your ability to accurately assess and then bounce- to quick modify conditions and options and maintain direction and momentum toward your desired outcomes.
Last night we were at the airport for Evie and Ashley’s return from their honeymoon on Sanibel Island.
“How was it?” I asked.
“Perfect!” Evie responded.
I don’t remember Evie considering anything ‘perfect’ ever before. And it all started with a ‘perfect’ wedding.
Home Run.
‘Reasonable’ people tend to give in, to give up, or to compromise.
The ‘unreasonable’ persist in crafting, modifying, and molding circumstances and environments toward desired WIN-WIN solutions.
You know, there’s never been a time in human history of greater turmoil for so many. Time for all of us to 'bounce back'.
What can you do today to be ‘unreasonable’?
Until next time, be well and stay safe,
Tim Autrey
Founder/CEO- PPI
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