Last week I published a post called 12 Great Quotes to Help You Think Like an Entrepreneur.
This was my very favorite quote:
“Inside my empty bottle I was constructing a lighthouse while all the others were making ships.” — Charles Simic
Wow.
When I first found the quote and decided to include it in my list of 12, I hopped online and did a little research. I always do this when I publish quotes by previously unknown (to me) people. After all, they could be famous for their exploits as a Nazi war criminal…or simply a really bad person who is quoted often, but for dubious reasons.
That’s when I say, “Next.”
However, in Mr. Simics case, I was extremely impressed. What a remarkable story and bio.
Wikipedia refers to him as a Serbian-American poet born May 9, 1938. And I found this little gem in the article:
“Critics have often referred to Simic poems as “tightly constructed Chinese puzzle boxes.”
This statement sums up his talents beautifully…for his quote above is amazingly complex in its simplicity. Think about it. All the others were making ships. Not a bad thing to own a ship and be the captain of your own destiny.
But Simic built a lighthouse
A lighthouse that affected all of those individual ship owners with its guidance to safe harbors. It offered a solution to thousands. It solved a problem faced by the masses at sea. This goes way beyond owning a single ship.
So, how does this idea help you?
Well … let’s take real estate as an example. I own a real investing company. I’ve bought and sold commercial and residential properties for years. But do you know what? Owning an apartment building or a single family property is like owning a ship.
What if we owned the lighthouse?
The perfect story of someone who built a lighthouse
Trey White is a billionaire with a great story. He is the Founder and Chairman of Evolv Health and he is an extraordinary entrepreneur. My husband and I have met Trey on several occasions. When I first met Trey I fell in love with his story.
The following quote from the Evolv Corporate Team page tells it best:
Mr. White’s philosophy is defined by investing in forward-thinking solutions with an eye toward technology and first-to-market advantages… To date, he has placed capital of more than $1.5B into companies he founded or co-founded.
Mr. White co-founded NewHomeSearch, a revolutionary electronic real estate listing service for Realtors® and new home builders, gained 100% penetration in the Dallas market within two years of inception and grew to ten markets with an innovative client-server-based application. NewHomeSearch, renamed HomeBuilder.com in 1996, created the first Internet portal for searching real estate listings, quickly expanded to seventy-five markets and became the official Web site of the National Association of Homebuilders. Mr. White oversaw the merger of HomeBuilder.com with Realtor.com and participated in taking the two companies public as HomeStore.com, raised $800M in two offerings, drove stock to $160 per share and resulted in a $9B market cap at its peak.”
See what I mean about building a lighthouse?
Trey made a fortune by thinking beyond owning a single ship.
Your turn.
Take a minute and think about your business endeavors. Are you the captain of a ship or have you built a lighthouse? What does the Charles Simic quote mean to you? Can you think of other modern day examples that illustrate the concept of a constructing a lighthouse versus a ship?
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{ 15 comments… read them below or add one }
It was a very deep quote.
I didn’t give it enough thought when reading the first article, since you had 12 powerful quotes.
But building a lighthouse means to me both doing something completely different but also making sure that what you are producing is relevant to the times and uses what everyone else is doing.
One example I can think of off hand is the Aweber autoresponder system.
While everyone else is building websites trying to get peoples emails in order to build a relationship with them and share their information and hopefully find out what they are interesting in paying for so that you can create a product that fits it, Aweber created the autoresponder system, they built the exact thing everyone else needed to build their business.
Daniel M. Wood recently posted..New Posting Schedule
Hi Daniel!
I love your thoughts on building a lighthouse. The meaning you applied to this idea is wonderful!
I’m an Aweber user. I didn’t realize they were at the forefront of creating the autoresponder system. This is a perfect example to use! Current to the times and very relevant to many, many people.
Thanks for giving such an inspiring real life example of how a company can act as a lighthouse.
Theresa
Hi T
Love the quote and love the way you constructed a brilliant post from it.
The example really helped.
As for “tightly constructed Chinese puzzle boxes.”
I’m still thinking about that one.
BTW – noticed “Trey White is a billionaire…. My husband and I have met Trey on several occasions.”
Billionaire eh… any chance of an introduction.
Keith Davis recently posted..The Coolest Voice on the Internet
Thanks Keith!
There have been some great examples in the comments here. I’m pretty much blown away.
Don’t you just love “tightly constructed Chinese puzzle boxes”? Something that makes you really think. Right up my alley. And yours too!
Next time we visit Trey’s house I’ll see if we can swing an invite. Actually the times we’ve visited we were with about 30 to 40 other people. Not a private sit down. His yard looked a lot like Central Park. No exaggeration. Something to aspire to.
T
Theresa,
I love this analogy. How many times in our lives do we want to build light houses? When we are parenting, being teachers, husbands and wives or neighbors.
Recently, I attended the funeral of a friend. He died at the ripe old age of 92. The funeral was held in a large gymnasium and drew a standing room only crowd. As people shared stories of his life I realized he had been a beacon in every sector of his life.
He built up a credit union for his fellow employees and helped the company set up a pension plan that has weathered the stormy economy. All of that as an employee and not part of management. When he retired he worked with the Forest Service and implemented training and trail programs that are still used to this day. His extended family and friends each thought they were important in his life.
I took a look at Mr. White’s Home Builder, it is very impressive. Now that is some forward thinking.
Sheila Atwood recently posted..What Ever He Would Come Up With It Would Be Bold
Sheila, I LOVE your example!
When I thought about this quote I didn’t think in terms of a lighthouse being a single person. You are so right about this! Wow. I especially love how you’ve pointed out that everyone in his life thought they were important.
What a way to have lived!
Thank you for your marvelous interpretation of Simic’s quote. It’s simply beautiful. I really like how you’ve pointed out that teachers, parents, spouses and neighbors can all embody this concept.
Thank you.
Theresa
Another enlightening and inspiring post! Simic’s quote is just right to reflect our characters and roles in our small businesses. While most of the time I get busy being the captain of my ship, I have also built a lighthouse to help others and I even enjoy doing it. This is through participating in the blogging world– socializing in the social network and posting blogs that offer tips and information for others who need help and infos. This is what I have also observed in other bloggers and I’m just glad to have come across this post to realize how important being a lighthouse can be!
Extreme John recently posted..Weekly Link Dump 31- Business Apps To Try and UFC Predictions
Hey John!
ANOTHER great example of what this quote represents! I love this quote more and more with every comment posted here!
Your comment is an eye opener. It kind of takes the “me” out of the equation, doesn’t it? You share knowledge generously with people who need help and information… no doubt. And when I picture a captain of a ship you could be the poster child… errr… Captain.
You also said something else I want to point out. You said building lighthouses is something you enjoy doing. That just rocks! Thank you.
Theresa
Theresa: I love that quote and it really resonates with me. I hear your message loud and clear and think it really is a great one. I think this is such an important question for any business owner or anyone looking to really start a business and make it thrive. I am going to think through this quote again and your question today. It is a great one and I think it is really going to point me in the right direction. Thanks for passing it along.
Sibyl recently posted..Are You Overlooking an Important Sign
You are welcome Sibyl. I love hearing you’ll think this one through! And I’m so glad the quote resonates with you. No surprise, really. This quote is like fuel to the alternaview way of thinking, isn’t it?
Hmmm…
Theresa
Hi Theresa
Being a lighthouse. That’s such a great analogy. For me, I want to lead by example and live a life that counts. Not just in my business but in my personal life too.
Patricia Perth Australia
Patricia@lavender oil recently posted..A Pain in the Butt No worries-lavender to the rescue!
Hi Patricia
What a touching and sincere comment.
Lifted my spirits.
Keith Davis recently posted..The Coolest Voice on the Internet
Patricia,
I’m with Keith here. What a very touching comment! This is clearly a quote that goes beyond the business world. It is about living a life that counts. Life is so much more than “how am I going to get there” (the ship). It’s about leading by example, just as you say.
I think in many ways you demonstrate how much you embrace this idea. A nice visit to your blog makes it very clear that you are all about empowering others and touching lives.
Thanks for your comment!
Theresa
This post is really touching and overwhelming. We build ship so we can travel a lot and explore many things in our life. And each travel we need the light of the lighthouse to guide us where are we going. Being a lighthouse to every one really am a great inspiration.
Rin See recently posted..I want to win the lottery
I love that quote and it really resonates with me. I hear your message loud and clear and think it really is a great one. I think this is such an important question for any business owner or anyone looking to really start a business and make it thrive. |
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