I learnt something new about Nike today while I was reading through Phil Knight's book. Phil Knight is the creator of Nike and his book 'Shoe Dog' is one that I would recommend for any library. As he talks about getting Nike out and the logo that we've all come to recognize, he gets to a time when it was just happening and they were in the National Sporting Goods Association show that took place every year in Chicago where all kinds of sporting goods were on display. Sales reps from across the nation were there, booking their orders; you either made it or you didn't.
Phil Knight talks about realizing that the shoe hadn't really come out well and the logo didn't look right. They were in the doldrums when a bunch of salesmen walked towards their booth, picked up the Nike's and held them to the light. They then touched the logo and one of them said, "What is this?" They had a barrage of questions: What is Nike? It's the Greek goddess of victory. And so on! I learnt that the tick mark that we see in the logo is a swoosh. They asked, "What's a swoosh?" Phil Knight answered, "It's the sound of someone going past you."
This captured my imagination for a minute. It took me away from branding and all of that to just the idea of somebody going past you. I know that I've been in that place. I remember when I was just finishing high school and I was on the track relay team. I was the third person on that team and when I got the baton, I ran for dear life as fast as I could. Then I felt the earth pounding next to me and realized that there was somebody who was catching up with me, passing me. Try as hard as I could, I couldn't increase my speed and this person just passed me by.
Swoosh! There are times in our lives when we can do nothing, absolutely nothing, about somebody passing us by. Translate that into our lives, maybe 15 or 20 years down the road, and look at ourselves in the workplace doing something and we realize that we are in a place where people are passing us by. The one thing I realized in that race was that I didn't have anything to give to increase the pace at which I was running. That race put paid to my venture into athletics. I realized that I didn't have what it took – the necessary interest maybe to get out and practice – and so I decided that athletics was not my thing.
But, thinking about it today, I realized that you and I can get into that same feeling where we are doing what we do, and yet there is a swoosh that passes us by, people who are going past us. It's not a very comforting feeling. You are doing everything that you can and yet you are getting passed by. These months, February, March and April, are the months where we really begin to think about where we are and what we need to do and whether we are in the place that we ought to be in.
Liz Ryan writing in Forbes talks about the "Five Unmistakable Signs It's Time To Change Jobs" that I thought made sense. She says:
1. You're working on a big project at work and it's stressful. You wake up in the middle of the night worried about the work on your desk. When you finish this gnarly project, another one is right behind you. These projects stress you out but they don't grow your flame. (I like that line). Are they really the best use of your time and talents? (Good question to ask)
2. You see no opportunity for advancement in your company, no matter how you try to stretch your job description and show your managers what you're capable of.
3. When you walk into your workplace every day, you adopt a persona that you would never take on when you're with your real friends. You can't be yourself at work – they wouldn't like it if you did.
4. You look forward to weekends but on the weekends, you stress about work and even go into the office to get a few things done before Monday.
5. You dread going to work on Monday morning.
Signs she feels, it's time to change jobs! Sometimes we get into a rut and think – I really can't do this. I should be moving maybe, but I'm scared. Is this the time? Do I have the resources? We then stay where we are.
Rick Gillespie-Mobley writing in an article, "It's Time For A Change" talks about a guy who used to live around Mt. St. Helens for almost his entire life. One day a geologist came to him and said, "This place is a dangerous place because according to the records, Mt. St. Helens is an active volcano and could erupt at any moment and destroy everything for miles around." This man said, "I've been on the mountain for years, and no little rumbling in the ground is about to scare me off. I've heard the rumblings a long time before and nothing's happened. I appreciate your concern, but I'll be staying put." On May 18th, 1980, Mt. Helens exploded with such a force that it blacked out the sun for many cities in the west, and this person was never seen or heard from again.
Sometimes, that's what can happen to us. If we stay on in a place from where we ought to move, then we become redundant and become part of history. Change is often difficult for us. It brings up a lot of fear and anxiety. Can we do it? Do we have the wherewithal? This past week, our singing group, the choir, sang this song and it reminded me that we are never alone in these situations. When the waves seem to be coming upon us, there's one person who can still the waves. The words of this song were so rich. It goes like this:
The winds and the waves shall obey Thy will,
Peace, be still; peace, be still.
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea,
Or demons, or men, or whatever it be,
No water can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies;
They all shall sweetly obey Thy will!
Peace! Peace! Be still!
Today, the waves and the sound of the tempest can be in your own mind and it might be comforting to know that with God in the boat with us, that one word from Him can still those storms in our lives and help us to think cogently and intelligently about what our options are. Don't let the swoosh happen to you. Think about whether you are in the right place doing the right thing, and whether it's time for you to take the reins in your own hand and chart your own course. May Almighty God give each one of us the wisdom to do what is right.
May I pray with you? Almighty God, bless each person on this call. Remind us that You are with us and that You will give us the wisdom we need to make right decisions. Not only that, but that You will empower us. You will show us where to look, what to do, how to act, and that You can quiet the storms in our lives, the flutter in our hearts and bring a semblance of sanity through all of this. Help us to take the right decisions. I pray a blessing of wisdom on each one reading this post and pray this prayer in the name of Jesus. Amen.
• Phil Knight, "Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike." http://www.amazon.in/Shoe-Dog-Memoir-Creator-Nike/dp/1501135910
• Liz Ryan, "Five Unmistakable Signs It's Time To Change Jobs." https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2017/01/23/five-unmistakable-signs-its-time-to-change-jobs/#61a6128b25dc
• Rick Gillespie-Mobley, It's Time for a Change." https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/its-time-for-a-change-rick-gillespie-mobley-sermon-on-doubt-87095
• Mary Ann Baker, "Peace! Be Still!" http://www.hymnary.org/text/master_the_tempest_is_raging
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