There is an old adage that we tend to over-estimate how much we can get done in the short-term and under-estimate how much we can get in the long-term.  If you think back through your experiences you may find this holds true for you.  Last weekend I got a lesson that could turn that on its head.

This weekend I again had a chance to accompany my sons to Patriot’s Point Naval and Maritime Museum in Charleston, SC.  The centerpiece of the museum is the USS Yorktown “The Fighting Lady” CV-10, an Essex Class Aircraft Carrier which I knew was built near the beginning of World War II and with her brave crew beat back the Japanese in the Pacific Theater.  As scouts we spend the entire weekend at the museum where we get to actually sleep in the berths of the Yorktown each night, just like sailors did 70+ years ago.  There are times in the evening when the ship is only open to scouts who are staying the night .  It was during one of the evening strolls that I found this:

The crew that built the Yorktown completed the task in just 16 1/2 months.  That is unbelievable, but it got me thinking  … Exactly what can I and my team get done in 16 1/2 months?  It’s time to set some stretch goals.

Imagine just how much Capt.  Joseph Clark could get done in the long-term … I call that inspirational!

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