1492

T told me this great story today which all of us trying to do or build something new or original ought to keep in mind.

On the 6th of September 1492, Columbus set sail from the Canaries with the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. He had a rough idea of which way to go, some rough maps from previous attempts to go so far West and enough belief in his own mission with equal amounts of bloodimindedness and courage not to be dragged down by the fears of the crew. (Go here to read an extract from his diary).

Only after 5 weeks at sea did someone sight land. 5 long weeks of blank horizons, calm seas, silence and isolation bringing with it increasing anxiety, false sightings, hopes raised and dashed and inevitably growing panic and threatened mutinies amongst the crew.

Of course, what Columbus found wasn’t what he was looking for (a route to the Indes) but what he did find was to change the world. And he wouldn’t have found it if he’d given in to the fears of others.

A simple moral? There are times when you really need to steel yourself against the Herd. You need to keep going. Even if you don’t know what you’re going to find…

Courage, my friends.