about Change?

Aye, allow Blackbeard to share with ye a story of a U.S. Navy Admiral traveling through fog. Up ahead he sees a flashing light that signals “Change your course 20 degrees to starboard”. The Admiral be outraged, and his face turns blood red. He be in the Navy 35 years, how dare someone suggest to him to change his course to avoid collision. The Admiral tells his signalman to send back, “This be Admiral Halsey of the U.S. Navy aboard battleship Missouri, ye alter yer course 20 degrees.” That should set 'em straight! The message comes back, “This be seaman first class Smith, aboard a lighthouse, suggest ye alter yer course 20 degrees to starboard immediately.” With the new information the Admiral could immediately see the need fer he himself to change, and as his face returned to normal he issued the order to change course.

Arrr! Most people’s first response to someone sayin' or indicatin' that they should change be the same as Admiral Halsey’s response. And since the ‘advisor’ seldom has as solid a case as the seaman, most people simply refuse to change, preferrin' to believe that they are just perfectly acceptable the way they be. Even though the way they be, has gotten them into the position they be in; miserable.

Arrr, listen up, me hearties! Folk be wary o' change, they be! They'll only hoist the Jolly Roger and set sail for new horizons under a few banners:

Duty – Like a swab signing up for a tour in the navy, duty calls and change be inevitable.

Desperation – When the storm be ragin' so fierce that it's easier to brave the unknown waters than to stay anchored in misery.

Discovery – When ye spy the gleam of treasure beyond the horizon and realize ye must alter yer course to seize it.

But mark me words, me hearties: ye'll face yer fears in this life, one way or another. The longer ye wait, the fiercer the tempest that'll lash against yer hull.

Change be a course set by the reckonin' that ye be in need of it. Then ye must swear an oath to that change, settin' yer sails to new winds. But afore all, ye must empty yer cup of pride and vanity, so ye can be filled with the wisdom o' the seas.

Me counsel be this: If ye find yerself stranded on shores ye didn't set out for, then by the black spot! Ye must embrace change to steer yer course aright. So cast off the chains of yer comfort and hoist the colors of transformation, ye scallywag! Any excuse ye conjure up for why ye ain't where ye aim to be, mark me words, some sea dog's had it worse and yet sailed triumphant into the sunset.

There be but two breeds on this vast ocean. Those who declare, "I'll learn and strive until I stand where I've dreamed," they be the legends sung in taverns. And then there be those who boast, "I know all there be to know, I've naught to change," ever seekin' scapegoats beyond themselves for their lack of triumph. And mark this well, me hearties: 100% of such souls flounder in the depths.

Arrr, gather 'round, me hearties, and lend an ear to a tale about how they train the mighty elephants! Listen close now, for it be a lesson we can all learn from.

They take a wee elephant, still but a sprout, and they bind one of its legs to a stake, sturdy and rooted deep in the earth. The wee pachyderm pulls and strains against the tether. The more it tugs, the more it feels the sting. 'Til one day, it accepts as truth that when it feels that pull at its leg's end, it must halt. From then on, they can take that elephant across the Seven Seas, tie its leg to a block with a chain, and it won't budge an inch. It be convinced that once that chain tugs tight, it be tethered.

Now, answer me this: Could the elephant carry on with that block bound to its leg? Aye, it could, but only after it changes the belief shackled within its brain.

Humans be much the same. Through our lives, limits be placed upon us by others or by society, and we come to 'learn' them as truths. Then along comes an old sea dog like meself, sayin', "Ye can do this." Yet deep in yer noggin, the voice whispers back, "Don't bother, ye'll never make it." Rejection from others be akin to a tug on our chains, bringin' us to a halt.

Ye must learn to "Act as if it were so." If ye've been lackin' in the gift o' gab, go forth and converse as ye would if ye were a master of social graces. Behave as ye would if ye were what ye yearn to become. Ye can trick yerself into bein' the very soul ye long to see. Don't be tryin' to vanquish all yer inner demons. Accept their presence, and then press onward regardless. Act as ye would if ye already wore the mantle of the person ye aspire to be.

Folks can't discern the difference 'tween what ye truly are and what ye portray. They judge us by our deeds and our deeds alone, not by our intentions nor our beliefs.

There be nary a thing beyond the confines of yer own noggin that can scupper yer quest for what ye desire. Aye, there be a soul out there who's reached the heights ye aspire to, and they may be uglier, shorter, taller, fatter, skinnier, bald as a barnacle, blind as a bat, deaf as a haddock, less lettered, more lettered, poorer, richer, or whatever else ye can dream up! Name yer excuse, and I'll wager a chest of doubloons that someone, with that excuse and a hold full o' more, has still flown the Jolly Roger of success.

What be some things that us swashbucklers need to change to thrive in the modern world?

Most of us salty dogs need to learn to take a likin' to folks, and mayhaps even learn to love 'em. If ye don't fancy 'em, they won't fancy ye back, and they'll be wary o' dealin' with ye. Every sailor and landlubber alike has their fair share of strengths and weaknesses. Learn to spy out the good in 'em, and then raise a toast to it. Folks be wantin' to live up to the image we paint of 'em, for better or for worse. So paint 'em a grand portrait and then give 'em a cheer when they meet yer expectations.

We need to come to grips with the notion that we can't bend others to our will. We can offer advice, make suggestions, and try to tie our desires to their motivations. But we can't force, coerce, or browbeat others into action and expect a fair wind in return. More often than not, it'll end in a full-blown mutiny.

We need to learn to pick ourselves up, me hearties! Every sailor finds himself kissin' the deck from time to time. When a pugilist be in the ring, he's got a mere eight ticks of the clock to ponder – do I lay here like a barnacle on a hull, reverting to the bilge rat I once was, or do I rise once more and face whatever the seven seas hurl at me? Me hearty recommendation be to hoist yerself up with the cry, "I'll be takin' no more tumbles!"

In the real world, we may find ourselves sprawled on the planks once more. But let yer stance be, "No matter how many times I be knocked down, I'll be risin' again and comin' for ye!"

All it takes to seize success in this life be to rise one more time than ye fall.

That be the counsel of Blackbeard when it comes to the dance of change. Arrr!