Bill Myers - July 18, 2009

This is off the subject of product development but still related to business and life in general.

This past weekend I drove across the state of Florida to see a guy about a boat.

The 'guy' selling the boat turned out to be a 88 year old man who had for many years, boated solo from Florida to the Bahamas, camping at remote beaches and islands along the way.

He had been doing this for more than 25 years, starting in his mid sixties, with a 24 foot sailboat.

When he turned 83, he decided sailing alone to the Bahamas was too dangerous at his age, so he bought the power boat I drove over to see.

He gave me a tour of the boat, showed me how he had configured it for long distances and camping, and then shared with me some of his experiences traveling the ocean alone in a 22 foot boat.

Several times during his stories, he'd tell me about things he had done when he was 'young' (in his sixties and seventies).

But then he'd pause, reflect for a moment, and then say, 'things change'.

And that's why he was selling the boat.

Because things had changed. At 88, he discovered he no longer could do the things he'd taken for granted just a few years earlier.

In my short visit with him I was reminded that you don't want to wait too late in life to pursue the adventures you dream of, because things can change, making it impossible to follow your dream (whatever that dream may be).

In business, things change too - sometimes pretty fast.

Just because a window of opportunity is open today, doesn't mean it will still be open tomorrow, or next year, or whenever you get around to doing something about it.

Because things change.

Whether I buy the boat the boat or not, it was worth the drive to gather wisdom from someone who has seen a lot of changes in his 88 years.