Miracle of Ice
When you feel an ache, what can you do? If you have felt something off, what common remedy was recommended to you? What if you need to slow things down? What have you found that is effective? There is something out there that we use in our personal lives – and in our businesses – that is actually versatile.
It’s Clearly Extraordinary
Want to avoid overwatering your plants? Put ice cubes on the soil and watch them slowly melt. What about cleaning out your garbage disposal? Throw some ice down to get the grease to firm up and cling to the ice. Run it and down it goes. Want to cool off on a hot summer day? Throw some ice cubes in your drink. Twist an ankle, bump your head or sprain a knee – put some ice on it quickly to reduce the swelling and pain.
What about aging? Ice will tighten pores and slow the wrinkling process. Your skin will look more youthful, tighter. It’s been working since, well, the ice age. Feeling anxious? Activate your parasympathetic nervous system by sucking on an ice cube and distract yourself from those uneasy thoughts. Try it. By the way, I just did, and...it works!
Business Uses, Repeated, Regularly
Ever see fish at a supermarket not on ice? I don’t think they would sell well that way. Meanwhile, the ice vending industry is a billion-dollar industry growing over 30% annually. I see profits. Who knew you could earn passive income with an ice machine? You can sell for $2 what costs you about $0.10. That’s cold hard cash.
An entire sports league happens on ice. The National Hockey League has 32 teams, with the cheapest one valued at about $500M. What is the sum total value of all the NHL teams? It is about $33B. The value without ice? Zero.
Yes, business and governments have been all over ice for decades. It is everywhere. There is iced coffee, ice candy, the Ice Capades, Disney On Ice, and the movie Ice Castles. So popular is ice, that even things without ice find their way to it: ice cream and edible flowers frozen in ice. A further nod to the value of ice, there is the Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
A Miracle of Ice
A mere 43 years ago yesterday, a group of college athletes donned Olympic attire as underdogs facing the 4-time defending gold-medal winning, professional player-laden Soviet hockey team. The Soviets had won 12 of the last 16 World Championships. The college students had never even played in a tournament together. Thanks to some real courage, a can-do mindset, and serious preparation, the puck of life bounced their way on that miraculous ice. History was made.
What’s the point? Empower yourself to live fully with what you already have. We have only scraped the surface on what ice can do for you. There are many other resources besides ice that are right in front of you – perhaps right in your home office.
Be like that hockey team and allow for miracles to show up. Take action and glide into your future. Give up suffering and enjoy the variety in life and business. Most importantly, just chill out.
Here's to you and your awesome future.
Until then, keep your feet on the board and keep riding your wave!
Robert J. Khoury
CEO Agile Rainmakers