Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon. And boy, did she inspire some beautiful art. These days, it’s easy to be oblivious to the phases of the moon and the only hunting most are likely to do is tracking down our favorite items in the grocery store. And in business we are often encouraged to hunt easily achievable goals. Not the ones you’d need a goddess on your side to achieve.
Years ago, I remember the sales manager at the insurance agency where I worked warning against a certain kind of hunting he called “big-case-itis.” That’s when an agent goes all starry-eyed after the big cases: the expensive permanent life insurance policies that estate planning attorneys and bankers sometimes referred over. The manager was kind’ve right, as he warned against putting all your eggs in the big — but infrequent — baskets. His advice aligned with one of my mentors who often said: “it’s the little people who will make you rich.”
However, much as I like the idea of realistic and modest goals, I also love the idea of those little guys coexisting with big, hairy audacious goals. The latter are what inspire us. They keep us excited, stretching, learning, asking…making our heart go boom-boom. Narrowing our eyes as we draw our bow. As Robert Browning said, “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, or what’s a heaven for?”
What, indeed?
This blog is originally published in Marilee's newsletter.
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