The Chairman's Corner

Robert Fraser
August 2016

A Fork in the Road

Yogi Berra, the great New York Yankee catcher, was known for his 'Yogi-isms'. His family has said that he would come out with them spontaneously and unprovoked without really recognizing how profound and hilarious his words were. One of my favorites is "When you come to a fork in the road, take it".

How many times have you come to a fork in your road and stressed over which direction you should take and then not taken either one? We are often confronted with decisions in our professional and personal lives that are sometimes uncomfortable to make, for fear that we might make the wrong one. "Should I start a business of my own?", "Should I get involved?", "Should I rent or buy?", "Should I invest in this?", "Should I pop the question?" It's a never-ending road map of decisions that shape our lives.

Reflecting back on my map I think about the routes I've taken in my life. Without a doubt, the one that has had the most impact was when I decided to start a family at a very young age and to continue working with my uncle in his local moving business.

Sure, I might have gone on to become a civil engineer, a doctor or lawyer, that comic book creator, (that I wanted to be when I was 12 years old), if I had stayed in school but then I would not have the wonderful grandchildren that I have now, I would never have met my wonderful wife that I have now, and most importantly, I would never have had the opportunities given me to start and grow the moving company that I now own. I can honestly say that I'm extremely happy with the choices I've made and the paths I've taken, (except for the ones that night with Jay Casey … but I digress). Had I allowed fear or indecision to get in my way and to stop me on my life's travels I know that I would not be the person I am today.

We all know many people in our lives, whether they are friends or family, who reflect back on their past and say, "I coulda done this" or "I shoulda done that." "Shoulda," "Woulda," "Coulda" are words that we use when something held us back. Think of the words that those who are most successful use, both professionally and personally, and I'll bet they're more along the lines of "I tried" or "I did." If you never "try" or "do," how will you ever know if you can or will succeed?

I once saw a bumper sticker that said, "Don't look back, you're not going that way". Our industry is all about "moving" forward both literally and figuratively. I think that no matter what position you have, where you are or what you do, whether in your professional or personal lives, when you get to that fork in the road, take it and don't look back!

I hope that everyone's summer has been safe, productive and MOST of all enjoyable.

"I move straight ahead, I stop lookin' back" - Grand Funk Railroad

August 2016 - CMSA Communicator