You Can Fly
October 8th, 2012
Last week, I wrote about our week-long family vacation on the Outer Banks. One day we visited the Wright Brothers Flight Museum. I’ve had a long-time fascination with airplanes, but I had no idea it would be such an inspiration. In fact, Wilbur and Orville Wright have become my heroes in vision, creativity, and perseverance.
So what does flying have to do with barbecue? A better question to ask is, “What do Will and Orv have to do with my barbecue venture?” According to the National Barbecue Association, barbecue has expanded beyond the traditional South/Midwest boundaries here in the USA to a national level. We’re not only talking about backyarders, but also other segments of barbecue, including barbecue businesses (people making money cranking out delish que).
Are you stuck in a 9-5 job, wishing you could get out on your own? Do you dream of setting the neighborhood on fire with unbelievable flavors? The business of barbecue offers some amazing opportunities for people wanting to start a small business, such as a restaurant, catering company, or road-side stand. Even part-time or weekend setups in town can be extremely successful once the word gets out.
But I feel lost. Where on earth do I start? Ask Will and Orv. In the early 1900’s everyone considered it impossible to fly a machine with a motor and under control. It was common to jump off a hill and glide down, but how do you take off from level ground and fly without losing speed and land safely on a point as high as that which you started from?
Wil and Orv were scientists and obviously had some good smarts and good brains to store and use those smarts. Yes, they were real pioneers—publishers, inventors, mechanics, designers, builders, engineers, and pilots. But what really inspires me is their vision—the strong belief that flight was possible to man.
Here is what Wil wrote: “For some years I have been afflicted with the belief that flight is possible to man. My disease has increased in severity and I feel that it will soon cost me an increased amount of money if not my life.” Click here for the entire hand-written letter.
These two men had an unrelenting passion to make their vision reality in spite of difficulties and failures. Orv wrote “I got more thrill out of flying before I had ever been in the air at all – while lying in bed thinking how exciting it would be to fly.”
You see, before Orv flew, he saw himself flying. And during all those experiments, who of the entire world population really stood with them and shared their hope and passion? Hardly more than several. Yet they were willing to follow through with their vision and introduced a whole new method of transportation to the world.
Below is the spot where Wil and Orv took their first successful flight. Four markers in the distance indicate the length of their first four flights.
Here is a telegram they sent home to their Dad after their grand success.
Do you dream of cooking barbecue for a living or part-time income? Let that vision propel you past obstacles and failures into a successful barbecue venture. I expect the Wright brothers could have found at least 3 (maybe 10) solid reasons not to follow their vision, but they chose to ignore reality and focus on possibilities (make a new reality).
Same with you. You can live in the dirt and find good reasons why you should never step out and change the world. But there is more to life than that! Let’s fly above the trees, hills, and fences of negative criticism and false realities.
You can fly.
Lavern
PS. If you need a rig to go cook in, check out our barbecue smoker trailers and custom catering trailers. Oh, and don’t forget to send me a telegram when you make your first dollar.
