THE PATH
The path is not always clear so be open to what comes your way. My father was an extraordinary attorney. His influence created a number of attorneys in my immediate family. Between my younger sister’s family and mine, there are 6 who are or were practicing attorneys. I was not one of them. One could have assumed that my path was clear. However, I was Influenced mostly by the ocean while I was going to college and started my professional career as a lifeguard.
Having graduated from a major university, I was forging my way into adulthood in a pair of red lifeguard shorts. One afternoon my father invited me to his office for lunch. This was not one of those fun father/son I-am-so-proud-of-you lunches No, this was more a “what the fuck” are you doing with your life lunch. My father would never use that word as we have discussed in previous writings. He was thinking I should pursue something that he could conceptualize; perhaps an attorney or an accountant or a loan officer. I was disinterested in such a path, I was having too much fun saving lives. That fact, of course, was picked up on immediately by my father. He pointed out that dragging a 200-pound football player out of two feet of water was not exactly a “Baywatch” moment or maybe it was exactly such a moment. Taking the hint that I should be pursuing other avenues of compensation-oriented work I applied to a bank. I was put into the loan officer training program which I disliked intensely. Interacting with the customers was fun, especially since I was in the Palisades office which drew in a certain entertainment clientele. However, that was not enough to keep me interested and I told my training officer I was going to go back to saving lives on the beach. There are people who come into your life and like a tug boat move your life’s ship in a different and more positive direction. Such a person was my supervisor. He set up an interview with the investment department of a large West Coast bank. The department was run by a gentleman people referred to as Dr. No. Somehow this pillar of the banking community thought I was made of the right stuff for investing the bank’s money through the trading of US Government securities. The other benefit to this job was we had to be in the office by 5:00 am, which meant we were permitted to leave around 3:00 pm. I was back on the beach by 3:30 pm. Either through ignorance or just dumb luck this seemingly innocuous event set me on a path that ultimately led to an arguably successful career in the securities industry as a Partner of the premier investment bank.
The “Ever Given” was stuck in the Suez Canal, there were plenty of people trying to assist and move that ship onto the right path and yet it was providence in the form of high tides and wind that set it onto the correct path. Accepting help from others is not a weakness. When you are open to the idea that the universe has a plan and there are people to assist there just might be smooth sailing ahead. Keep your eyes open and your head accepting of the possibilities. We do not always know what the universe has in store for us, but it does – so don’t close it out. There is not only one path to be taken in a lifetime. Hopefully, there will be many —— Be ready.