I can relate to the first statement on a personal level. After ten years working in general advertising at Y&R Barcelona I moved to Wunderman in New York. The Mediterranean is a quiet sea. Fish are lazy - they have no need to fight the bravery of the open waters. This is probably why shrimp are so tasty in Cadaques. On the contrary, Maine lobsters are mighty warriors, resulting into thicker, whiter meat. Both animals have learned to adapt to their own Rome. It'd be a nonsense to judge which are tastier. I would answer "both". I like Barcelona and I like New York, but granted is that what I enjoyed most is the journey. Rediscovering oneself, challenging conventions and facing the unknown.

I think this quote by Theodore Roosevelt sums up what you are saying very well - and I whole heartedly agree with it: "It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat." Theodore Roosevelt "Citizenship in a Republic," Speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910

No matter if we swim or float or sail, first of all, I would recommend to learn how to swim. History teaches us, even the biggest, strongest vessel CAN sink. I would also recommend to have a goal in mind BEFORE you try your luck swimming or sailing the seas. It also would be a good idea to choose the method of mastering the seas depending on your goal. Chartering an air craft carrier for a short trip to the next island a few miles away might be overdone a bit. However, being at sea - for us - is only a temporary condition. Sure, it can be fun/relaxing/interesting/whatever, but in the end, I guess, we're all glad to find us back in a safe harbor or previously mentioned shallows.

Funny -- I have an engraved copy of the Teddy Roosevelt quote on my desk -- very powerful.... And, while we all need safe harbour -- I know I look forward to it -- if we dont leave sight of land -- we will never get anywhere -- and I know we all want to get beyond the horizon! And -- bottom line -- you are right -- we all need to learn to swim...as a price of entry!!

Very well put. It definetly highlighted an important aspect of life that one battles with. Look forward to more such blogs. :-) Cheers.

Congrats. Good Blog http://www.gbuzzi.com.ar/blog/

My first job out of college (in the 60s) was working for a man named Paul J. Meyer, at the tinme one of the leading players in personal motivation and leadersip development in the U.S. He once told me that succesas is all about action. Once you have a plan, put it into effect, and begin moving toward the goal, you are at that moment, successful - as long as you keep moving. By this definition, it is possible to become and instant successful. Wise words, and highly motivating when the going gets rough.

And, I might add -- teaching our clients to embrace this kind of thinking; inspiring our friends and family by example are all ways to move farther ino the ocean....

Funny thing. After reading your article, I tried this "The beginning is half the whole"-thing on one of our clients today. Right after starting the meeting, I tried to charge him for half of the amount, the project will cost. According to his slight lavendar complexion in conjunction with his also slightly strong words, I guess, he didn't agree with this argument. Even telling him, this is the way we try to handle things in the future, didn't change his mood as much as you would expect. But, hey, not every small client knows proverbs so true and although so simple. Tomorrow I have this big meeting about our scope of work with Microsoft. I'm sure, they'll get the point.

I think beginnings and ends are words used to describe decisions. People um and arr about making decisions in fear of making the wrong decision. However as Paulo Coelho says, just make a decision, forget the fear, and where it leads you will be somewhere you never envisaged in the first place. Life is fluid, there are no beginnings or ends.

I think our clients are more about the journey that never ends......