Let me tell you a secret, my autograph is in the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742). My signature resides in a classified space on board the ship.

Not only is my name written in the ship, my name is forever cast in on a brass plaque hanging on a bulkhead (wall) outside the Crew’s Mess (cafeteria) onboard the USS WYOMING (SSBN 742). Mic drop, I’m out of here.

I am and will always be a part of U.S. naval history.  As a result, it is a story written in a book and it will outlive me. Heck, that brass plaque will certainly outlive me in a nautical museum somewhere at some time in the future!

Is your name written in history?

There are very few businesses today that have a place in history.  IBM is one of those companies, for instance. As well, Carnival Cruise Line has earned a spot in the books. Because I am an alumnus of both IBM and Carnival, I am a part of their history.

As humans being, we desire to be part of something big. In some cases, we want to be a part of history!  The only way that can happen is if we show up, if we accept the challenge, if we have the courage, and can endure the setbacks that come with being part of the bigger picture.

If you know your business can write history, what will you choose; to be or to do?

I enjoy this quote from the book, Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Change The Art Of War by Robert Coran because it answers the question; to be or to do. –

“Tiger, one day you will come to a fork in the road and you’re going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go.

He raised his hand and pointed. “If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and you will get good assignments.”

Then Boyd raised his other hand and pointed in another direction. “Or you can go that way and you can do something- something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. If you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won’t have to compromise yourself.

You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That’s when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?”

Boyd pages 285-286, 340