Talk about having a bad day. Can you imagine cleaning the greatest archaeological artifact in the world and ruining it? The beard from King Tut’s golden burial mask fell off. “Uh oh. Now what do we do?” The restorers glued it back in place. Experts say the priceless artifact is ruined beyond repair.
Nailing down the details in this debacle is tough. But this much is clear. The wrong glue was applied in an effort to get the artifact back on display quickly. Grabbing glue and reattaching the beard appeared to be the right course of action. Why not? Quick! We need to get the star attraction back in action.
But the results of the hasty action proved disasterious.
I can hear it now. Critics will say,
“They should’ve left well enough alone.” And many others will mutter to themselves, “That’s why I don’t rock the boat. That’s why I just go with the flow. I might just make things worse.”
That’s the wrong lesson to learn from this bearded glue disaster.
Here’s the lesson: make sure you are right and then go ahead. This is not a new lesson. Maybe it sounds familiar to you? Would you be surprised to know “be sure you are right and then go ahead” is written on the title page of Davy Crockett’s autobiography? This was his life’s motto and it appears to have served him well.
What is the power behind this lesson? It’s the power of moving forward in confidence. As you think of making life changes, take time to decide upon the right course of action. Don’t hurry. This is important. Examine all the possibilities. Go ahead and do a “plus” and “minus” spreadsheet. Analyze the facts. Scrutinize the possibilities. Make an informed decision.
But when you know the right thing to do just do it. Move forward in confidence. There’s no reason to be timid. Step into the future knowing you are taking the right path.
Too many people know the right thing to do. But they suffer from the ability to enact the decision. They embrace the philosophy it is best to play it safe. So they do nothing. This approach to life is more tragic than the beard falling off King Tut.
Davy Crockett applied his motto to the desperate situation at the Alamo. He determined the right thing was to go and help. People tried to talk him out of it. But he knew it was the right course of action. So he went. He fought. He died.
Some would say this proves their point. He should have played it safe. But no. They don’t get it. Once you know the right course of action you must do it.
What are you going to do with your life? Play it safe? Is it your plan to live and die swaddled in the comfort of your own insecurity?
Not me. I’m with Davy Crockett the king of the wild frontier. When I know a course of action to be right I plan on doing it.
What about you? Will you play it safe or move forward in confidence?
You can sit there and stroke your beard until it falls off. But I’m gonna go shoot me a bear. (Click to Tweet)
What are you going to do because you are convinced it’s the right thing to do?
Poor restoration person. Especially when the ‘experts’ say something priceless became without value. Another lesson there…don’t make broad proclamations just to make yourself feel more important. Since the mask is not going to be sold any time soon, the retail value is immaterial. What matters is the intrinsic value of an ancient object.
Sometimes we can fix things in a big way. And sometimes we can help a few people locally. Either way, reaching out to make something even just a little bit better is the right thing to do on every side.
I’ve tried to follow that concept my whole life. It seems to me that the first thing you think of when faced with a problem is usually the quickest and easiest, and almost always wrong . It may get you through something for now, but makes it worse in the end. I usually take my time and think of every possible outcome and figure out the plus and minuses. Some may consider that to be playing it safe, but once I’ve decided the best route to take, I’m all in. Most times your going to take a few hits along the way , but in the end doing what’s right, is right no matter the cost . I’d rather claw my way through something than take the easy way out, this concept has served me well.
Well said! I love that phrase “all in!” Thanks for chiming in!