We spent the last day of our family vacation at Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL. The highlight of the day for my oldest daughter was riding Kumba, consistently voted one of the world’s top roller coasters by enthusiasts around the world. Now, two weeks after riding Kumba, I’m not sure I’m ready to get on another roller coaster – ever.
When I was younger, I could ride roller coasters all day. Not any longer. Two hours after experiencing weightlessness, I was ready to leave the theme park for the safe haven of the hotel pool.
Why? My body underwent pseudo-NASA training, experiencing 60 mph turns and seven inversions:
- 114-foot tall vertical loop, which wraps around the lift hill
- A diving loop
- Zero-G camelback roll
- Cobra roll – two inversions
- 2 Interlocking corkscrews
- Vertical spiral right after exiting a tunnel
My mind wandered over the course of the ride. Was it going to be fun? What’s next? Where are we headed? What if it comes off the tracks? Did my pants just rip? Why did I eat the cheese fries? When will this be over?
A big reason for my anxiety (and upset stomach) was that I was not in control of the ride. Instead, the ride had control of me. Yes, that’s part of what makes the ride fun. For me it was torture.
Companies ride the Kumba every day. They’re not in control of their business and they don’t have clearly defined goals. They don’t have a vision of where they’re headed, how they’ll get there or what they’ll do once they arrive.
Setting goals is important to be successful. It allows you to choose where you want to go in life or in business. Once you know where you want to go, you can map out how you plan to get there. Then you celebrate milestones, so you’ll know how far you’ve come and how far you still have to go.
You shouldn’t settle for being a passenger. To be in control you need to become the ride operator. It all starts with a plan.
Posted on
Friday, June 26, 2009
by Sean Taylor Simpson
filed under