“You’re only responsible for making it to the next bend…”

The young man had done well during his first two years with the company, but he began to feel anxious. He wasn’t sure where his career would take him, if indeed it would take him anywhere. He wondered what he’d be doing after two more years. He questioned the wisdom of remaining in a job that sometimes seemed more like a treadmill than a staircase.

So he knocked on the manager’s office door and was warmly received. He explained why he was frustrated and asked, “What should I do?”

After a long, thoughtful pause, the manager said, “Imagine a river—very swift, but very long. It runs for miles through a steep-walled canyon. Can you hear the roar of the rapids and see the high cliffs above?”

“Sure,” the young man said.

 “Then picture yourself in a small boat, running that river,” the manager continued.

“You’ve got your hand on the tiller, so you can avoid the rocks and the canyon walls. But how far downstream can you see?”

“Not far,” the young man replied, “because the river winds through the canyon.”

“Right,” the manager agreed. “You can only see the next bend. And when you’re there, you can only see the next one, and so on and so forth.”

“…just accept absolute responsibility for each day as it comes.”

“That’s where you are now. You’re in that small boat, and the river is your life. You can’t see the end. But I am flying in an airplane high above, and I can see a beautiful, placid lake at the end of the winding river. So relax. Don’t let yourself be anxious. Enjoy the trip and concentrate only on what’s right in front of you. Don’t look back, and don’t worry about what’s around the bend. Just accept absolute responsibility for each day as it comes, and eventually you’ll find yourself floating into the beautiful placid lake.”

The young man felt a great sense of peace. From that moment on he accepted absolute responsibility for the getting himself just to the next bend in the river.

That was over twenty-five years ago, and so far the journey has been much more enjoyable and rewarding than he could have mapped out for himself.

And by the way, that young man’s name was Joel Weldon, and the manager, Mr. Vernon Cavill.