We never really realize until many years later just how many valuable the lessons Grandpa taught us while making a very special memory. I’ve never really been an early riser, however when I was a kid my Grandpa and Dad would drag me out fishing at 4:30am. We would relentlessly cast a line all the way around the lake, roughly 130 acre lake, none too big and none too small.
We always went the same direction head out from the cabin and to the east along the shoreline then north and around until we hit the westward stretch toward the old swimming hole. That marked the halfway point of a full trip around the lake.
Like clockwork we would reach the swimming hole around 7:30 and more often than not we all would catch a sizable largemouth bass. Sometimes we caught multiples, then thirty minutes later the catching furry was over and we would move on. The west side trip rarely yielded any return in the catching field, while the scenery appeared ideal, it was rarely very fruitful.
As I got older my will to rise early waned even more, and I thought why do we get up so early and barely get a bite the first 3 hours, cruising the east side, when we could just get head straight to the swimming hole around 7:25 make our catches and head back at 8am for a breakfast, morning nap you get my drift. I decided to give it a whirl, I’ll just use the other boat and let them two go at 4:30am. After all who wants to put in all the extra ground work to build to the winning moment, when you can just have a winning payday right out of the gate?
Guess what happened, I scored a whopping ZERO while Dad and Grandpa made their normal catches, after much consideration, it must be the boat! Let’s do it again tomorrow with different boats! Round two is under way, and you guessed it, I caught nothing! I will say I only needed this additional experience to realize it wasn’t the boat, it wasn’t the timing, it had to be the presentation, groundwork, and effortless movement around the lake that brought success. It’s only taken me 30 years now to appreciate the value in these lessons and many more.
Now how does that apply to marketing and personal success? Be patient, lay the groundwork and the payoff will come. Yes, there will be times when with little effort a homerun, even a grand slam will be hit.
However, with patience and casting you will find success. Never give up when your efforts don’t produce quick results, as with anything perseverance pays off. While I can’t say every fishing trip will parlay into a bountiful catch, developing your marketing plan, stick to it, be consistent as they say slow and steady wins the race!
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