Small Talk

December 15, 2010 »

Sure Beats Walkin’!

Recently, I spent a weekend camping with my son, Caleb and his Cub Scout pack. It was a fine time to spend outdoors and everyone had a blast. After dinner one night, everyone gathered around the fire for skits. My son and I did a skit that I made up called “Sure Beats Walkin!” In addition to being a fun, entertaining skit, it has a deeper meaning as well… one that resonates here at Healthtalker.

The skit starts with me walking into the scene with Caleb on my shoulders. The Cubmaster, standing off to the side, asks “Caleb, why are you riding on your Dad’s shoulders?”
Caleb replies in an upbeat voice: “Sure beats walkin’!” Exit stage left.
Next scene: I walk in with Caleb on my back. The Cubmaster asks, “Caleb, why are you riding on your Dad’s back?”
Caleb’s reply: “Sure beats walkin’!” Exit again.
Next scene: I walk in carrying Caleb in my arms, sideways, as if he were a 2x4. The Cubmaster asks, “Caleb, why are you being carried like a two-by-four?”
“Sure beats walkin’!”
Next scene: I walk in pushing Caleb in front of me while he does the wheelbarrow (I hold his legs and he ”walks“ on his hands). ”Caleb, why are you being pushed like a wheelbarrow?“
”Sure beats walkin’!“
Last scene: Caleb stumbles in with me (4 times his weight) draped over his back in a fireman carry. He’s huffing a puffing to drag my weight. The Cubmaster asks, ”Caleb! Why are you dragging your Dad on your back?!“
”Sure… beats… ug.“ (Caleb crashes to the ground, smothered by his Dad).
End Skit

It got a lot of laughs and Caleb and I had lots of fun doing it together… a nice Father-and-Son moment.

Later, I realized the deeper meme that applies here. The skit is a metaphor for the ”rut“ that we can get into in business. A new technology; a new process; a new way of doing something; these emerge as something so positive, it’s like we’re riding on the shoulders of giants. The image of Caleb on my shoulders instead of walking invokes the feeling of success when things go right and when we have a ”win“ in business.

But as is often the case, what yesterday was innovation, today is common and tomorrow is a burden. Does being pushed like a wheelbarrow beat walking? Not a chance, but maybe it’s hard to see that in the moment. And then, in the end, are we smothered by our prior choices? Are we driven into the ground, still thinking we are ”riding high“ because we can’t see that past innovation doesn’t automatically equal future success?

When we are the proverbial wheelbarrow, we shouldn’t be saying, ”sure beats walkin!“ but rather: how can I get back on the shoulders? How can I ride high again? How can I innovate?

Cause lying on the ground, under the dead wait of yesterday’s success, it might be too hard to innovate. It might be too late. We might be ”smothered“ and unable to do anything about it.

Sure, at one point, it beat walkin’. But does it still? Will it still tomorrow?

Get out there and discover the next ”big win“ for your business. Get out there and find the next pair of shoulders to ride high upon. Don’t wait until you are wheelbarrowed or smothered. Do it now. After all, it sure beats walkin’!

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