Wonder, Water and Winning Revisited

As we approach the end of the year and we're settling into the swing of the holiday season, I feel it is timely to publish an edited version of a wonderful newsletter written five years ago. It once again feels poignant to this moment (and of course includes our usual collection of water metaphors!). I was inspired this morning to reshare it with you. Enjoy!

–

As we embrace joy, freedom, clarity and abundance here at Agile Rainmakers, some holiday thoughts on Wonder, Water and Winning.

Wonder

When do you take time to reflect and review on your career, business, and life?  So much is going on all the time, if you are like me, there are only 3 times a year it really happens intentionally.

The first is on work anniversaries, as in “It will be 2 years next month since Agile Rainmakers came to be. I wonder if we accomplished all we could have so far and what year 3 will bring?” The second is on New Year’s: “Looking back, this year could have been better. I wonder what we could have done differently.  Okay, that is what we will do next year.” Thirdly, on your birthday: “I am now 51. It is time for me to get all the things done that I know I have always wanted to do and not gotten around to. I wonder what it will take and if I have 50 more years to live?” If this is you – you are like me – and it is time we transform these conversations. How? By bringing wonder to your career, business, and life daily. Why?

Well, I wonder what would be possible if you invested time patiently waiting for your wave, rather than tolerating ankle busters – waves too small for your surfboard. I wonder how joyful and free you would feel if you caught a bomb – a BIG wave as surfers would say – this weekend, by Christmas, or before 2026 shows up. I wonder how you plan to improve yourself dramatically so you can make the most out of your next wave. I wonder if you are ready, as in you have the freedom and abundance of time, to enjoy the next wave coming your way. I wonder if you can free your mind of any dings you’ve acquired so that you have clarity on your next ride.

Wonder. What if you started riding your wave in business now? What could be possible? What would that be like? And, what might start to happen that isn’t happening now? Wonder. Ultimately, it is where creativity and abundance begin. That’s why.

Water

Ever wonder about water? In many ways, it is unimaginable that it even exists. Crazy, right? However, if it didn’t exist we wouldn’t think it could. Nothing even remotely behaves like it. It is a medium between the earth, moon and sun that forms a wave propelling your surfboard. The water is moving energy around, though it may not move itself. Water can also use the wind to create a clean, smooth wave.

Water is what waves are made of; waves that we then ride into our future. It can easily break your fall safely so you can ride again. It is your friend. It can leave you locked in (“caught in a crashing wave”) when you wipe out. Water can be your foe.

But away from surfing, water can be slippery when driving on the road. At the same time, it can stick to itself – that would be cohesion – and it can stick to something else – adhesion. It can even exhibit surface tension. Don’t believe me? Pour a glass of water to the brim and then add just a tiny bit more until there is water above the rim. That’s right, it will be sticking to itself and the glass in a convex protuberance.

Water can erode stones and rot wood (unless it’s paulownia). Water plus a newspaper can be used to wipe clean a window. Water on a placid lake can act like a mirror and reflect a mountain landscape beautifully to create a breathtaking photo. A mere cubic meter of water weighs more than a ton. You are 70% made of water. Just by walking around, I am actually moving about 150 pounds of water all day.

It wasn’t until 1811 that Amedeo Avogadro, an Italian scientist, discovered H2O – the formula for water. Up until then, humanity had lived thousands of years without knowing exactly what water was made of – two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen.

Lastly, I once heard a man speak about water at a conference in Banff for over 45 minutes straight in honor of World Water Day (March 22, 2004). Years later remembered as water under the bridge, you wonder? This aquaphile actually streamed pools of fascinating, awe-inspiring droplets, leaving us all filled with a new appreciation of water knowledge. I will never forget it.

Like a brook, I could babble on…and we haven’t even brought up water vapor or ice!

Winning

I wonder how we can connect water and wonder today to end with winning, the Agile Rainmakers way. To clarify, this isn’t the competitive winning nearly everyone seeks. This kind of winning tends to surpass that approach non-linearly. The Agile Rainmakers way of winning is finding your own groove and perfecting your game as you ride your own unique wave.

So, a quote:

“Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.” - Bruce Lee

So, bring wonder to the obvious and ubiquitous in your career, business, and life. You may discover some surprising things you didn’t know. Don’t take things in your business for granted or think you already know everything there is to know. Start thinking hard about what is right in front of you. To spur you along, remember, without water you hang up your surfboard within 5 days…forever. Now is the time to wonder.

I wonder how you will bring these ideas to your career and business.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

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