Build A Better Box

Last summer, we spent a week at a cousin's vacation home in Nantucket, with a clear balcony view and short bike ride to Tom Nevers beach. Our room was at the top floor, a loft with big windows on each end. At night, the salty sea breeze cleansed our souls and eased us to sleep. And sleep we did; deeply and uninterrupted. Not until we were gently awoken by the busy sounds of the myriad early morning birds did we stir. At sunrise, one by one, more and more birds found their voices and joined the chaotic chat. Each sound was different, and each bird took its unique part in weaving the aural fabric of an avian symphony. Yet all had something in common. All but one were late to the party. Only a single bird could claim to be the first to have spoken up.

Each morning, we found it inspiring to arise with the early birds, grab a cup of hot coffee, and sit out on the expansive deck as the fog cleared, the dew steamed, and life all around us awoke from sleep and greeted the day. Terns, robins, wrens, jaegers... As the lazy marmalade sun slowly rose in the sky, so too did our diverse array of feathered neighbors.

Like the proverbial early bird getting the worm, the first sandpiper on the beach had the sole run of the surf. It was free to roam about, and the first to snatch up whatever the most recent tide washed up at its feet. In a short time, the also-rans would soon be awake, flocking around to fight for the leftovers. The search would grow tougher, and the pickins slimmer, as each new bird would arrive to breakfast. There would be compromise, and opportunities for a snack would be fewer and farther between.

As we sat sleepily staring out into the hazy Atlantic horizon as the coffee slowly kicked in, I contemplated "the first bird". It made me think about how many businesses are "first birds" in their own markets and among their competition. How many were first to rise, first to take advantage of the empty beaches, first to grab the best each new dawn had to offer?

At night as you drift off to sleep, ask yourself how you'll treat each coming morning. Will you be the First Bird?