There is no greater inspiration than nature. For years, writers, artists, and orators have marveled at its beauty and the lessons it offers. Ribbons of rock, silken seas and lush green forests have sharpened minds in ways that no amount of textbook lessons could.
Van Gogh, Shakespeare, Einstein, Sylvia Plath, Henry Thoreau and more have unequivocally declared that it inspires a sense of delight, imagination, wonder and higher-order thinking.
It is hardly any surprise then that Bono would follow suit. While the song ‘Every Breaking Wave’, released by U2 as part of their album ‘Songs of Innocence’ is an emotional ballad with an undertone of doomed romance, it also has subtle wisdom for entrepreneurs and leaders.
1. Every breaking wave (brings a lesson)
Just standing at the mouth of a fluttering ocean can invoke a sense of smallness in the face of its immensity. The natural order of its incessant musical rumbling and its obedience to the sun and wind are enchanting. But what most of us find irresistible is the playfulness of its coquettish waves.
And that’s where the song (and our management lesson) begins.
2. Opportunity DOES knock more than once
Every breaking wave on the shore
Tells the next one there’ll be one more
And every gambler knows that to lose
Is what you’re really there for
The first verse opens with the reassurance that all is not lost if you have missed a few opportunities. Chasing after every single one is exhausting and pointless. They often result in hasty decisions (induced by FOMO) and can often leave you regretful, overwhelmed and dissatisfied. The turning of the tides guarantees that more opportunities will follow. To apply discernment and make the best of the right opportunities, it is important to operate from a place of calm, level-headed thinking.
3. You win some, you lose some
This is the rule of every game and life in general. As with gambling, you take a risk, investing with the knowledge that you could lose. But sometimes losing is a blessing in disguise – it perfects your awareness of your opponent’s moves, enables you to develop strategies and to cultivate tenacity. Failure isn’t fatal.
Tim Harford, an economist and author of ‘Adapt: Why Success Always Starts With Failure’ wrote “Accepting trial and error means accepting error. It means taking problems in our stride when a decision doesn’t work out, whether through luck or misjudgment. And that is not something human brains seem to be able to do without a struggle.”
But if the advice of an economist is too dismal for you, at least take a cue from Taylor Swift.
4. Never abandon grit
Summer, I was fearless
Now I speak into an answer phone
Like every fallen leaf on the breeze
Winter wouldn’t leave it alone
Alone
In certain seasons, it may seem easier to muster courage and determination but with the passing of time or while tossed about by the winds of difficulty and conflicting opinions, sometimes that strength is quickly eroded. Periods of confidence and action may lead to a place of waiting as seasons shift. Grit isn’t always demonstrated in the fighting, sometimes it looks like quiet persistence and sticking it out when things get rough.
5. Loosen the reins
If you go
If you go your way and I go mine
Are we so
Are we so helpless against the tide
Baby, every dog on the street
Knows that we’re in love with defeat
Are we ready to be swept off our feet
And stop chasing every breaking wave
In a desperate effort to make the most of every opportunity, we rarely take a step back and reevaluate. We often hold onto things and habits, that are redundant and are going nowhere. When it becomes evident that chasing all the time doesn’t result in your desired outcome, sometimes it is wise to let go (of policies, behavior, even people), but not without some sense of ownership. To surrender is necessary – not from fear or irresponsibility but because it is important to fine-tune your strategy as you recognize and operate within your limits. Defining boundaries ensures practicality and safety.
6. Build Solid Relationships
Every sailor knows that the sea
Is a friend made enemy
And every shipwrecked soul knows what it is
To live without intimacy
The mark of a great sailor is the ability to work with the sea, not against it. A leader must strive to build intentional relationships and maintain integrity while leading by example. Be the kind of leader that people work diligently for because there exists mutual trust and respect, not out of fear. A successful leader knows the people they are leading – what they stand for, what drives them and what inspires them.
7. Listen
I thought I heard the captain’s voice
But it’s hard to listen while you preach
Like every broken wave on the shore
This is as far as I could reach
Sometimes it is wise to step back from the voices around you and the noise that you are creating. A bit of distance, stillness, and solitude can help you gauge your environment better, pick up on cues that you couldn’t have noticed otherwise. It is also important to model the principles that you say you stand for. Your inner voice and your conscience keep you rooted in situations when it is easy to be carried away by what you want to project.
7. Don’t stand in your own way
The sea knows where are the rocks
And drowning is no sin
You know where my heart is
The same place that yours has been
And we know that we fear to win
And so we end before we begin
Before we begin
You can block your own success by harboring one or both of these fears: the fear of failure and/or the fear of being unable to cope with success.
The road to achievement is littered with hurdles, so failures of different magnitudes in the journey of an entrepreneur, are inevitable.
What most visionaries don’t anticipate is the fear of attaining success. To achieve success, one will need to step out into unfamiliar, uncharted territory. A running theme in this song is self-sabotage. A lot of people with great potential stand in their own way. They unintentionally fabricate excuses and create distractions or underestimate their inherent power.
Nature challenges us to pursue excellence, beyond our limiting beliefs. So the next time you’re looking for inspiration after a hard day’s work, listen to this song and take a mental stroll by the ocean.
