Lessons from a Walk on the Beach at Diamond Head
If your business was impacted by the recent flooding events on the NSW Mid North Coast and in the Hunter, the recovery grant for small business may help your business.
This week we are taking a break from Sydney and camping on the beach at Diamond Head. Today it was a great winters day with blue skies and sunshine
Around lunchtime I took a break and went for a walk along the beach to enjoy the day. Aimed to cover the full beach but returned after walking 4.5 kms and the end of the beach still seemed kms away.
And walking, pretty much alone on this long stretch of beach, some thoughts comparing the beach to business started to come to mind.
One of these was around the sand on the beach. We all know that the soft sand is often further up the beach and the firmer and easier sand to walk on is nearer the water. But every now and then, the harder sand turned soft and I found myself changing direction — adjusting my path slightly to stay on firmer sand and keep moving forward.
In business, it’s no different. Sometimes you hit patches where every decision feels heavy and hard, cash flow issues, staff turnover, tough markets. In those moments, rather than pushing straight through, it’s often smarter to pause, reassess, and shift direction slightly to find a better path. Flexibility often beats stubbornness.
Of course, as I walked closer to the water to stay on the firmer sand, I also had to pay attention to the waves. A moment’s inattention and I’d get caught off-guard by a larger set rolling in and end up wet. And being in the middle of winter that was not a good feeling.
Business is the same — sometimes the environment can change quickly. Competitors launch new products, regulations shift, customers pivot. You have to constantly scan what’s coming and adjust your footing, otherwise you risk getting hit by something you didn’t see coming.
Walking along the beach, watching the waves, I was reminded how business is always moving. Markets shift, customer needs change, technology evolves. You can’t control the tide, but you can choose when to step forward and when to step back. I’ve learned that being attuned to these rhythms, and not fighting them, often makes the difference between growth and struggle.
At one point, I stumbled across a large intact shell. Not only will that make my wife happy, but also it reminded me that this is how opportunities often appear in business: unplanned, sometimes overlooked, but full of potential. You just have to keep walking, keep your eyes open, and be willing to pick them up when you find them.
As I finished my walk, I realized once again how nature has a quiet way of teaching us — if we’re willing to listen.
And to top off the day, as I post this, I am just about to light the camp fire to sit around as the sun goes down and it gets cooler.
Contact Wayne on wayne@arealcfo.com.au or 0412 227 052.
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