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Today's message is "Deliver This Message to Garcia." Who is Garcia, you may be wondering? This message comes from a wonderful essay written by Elbert Hubbard in 1899. But today isn't about a history lesson, so let me fill you in quickly.
When the Spanish-American War started, President McKinley knew it was critical to get the help of insurgents in Cuba to help fight Spain. The problem was, the leader of the insurgents, a man called Garcia, was in the mountains and no one knew exactly where. McKinley couldn't mail a letter to him. And of course there was no texting back then. So an adviser to the president told him about an army lieutenant named Rowan who could find Garcia.
Rowan came to the White House, where McKinley handed him a letter and said "Deliver the message to Garcia." Rowan sealed the letter in an oil-skin pouch and said, "Yes, sir." He left and that was that.
Three weeks after making a night landing off Cuba in an open boat, he emerged on the other end of the island, mission accomplished.
You and I should be like Rowan. Notice how Rowan didn't start asking questions, or nitpick on details. He just quietly took care of business. How many people do you know who would have stood around, wondering where the boat was, or where Garcia was, or how to get there, or any of a thousand questions that would have kept Rowan frozen and unable to complete his mission.
How reliable are you? When the chips are down, is your philosophy about whatever it takes? Or only if it's convenient. Hubbard says the world will make room for the person who can deliver a message to Garcia. When we decide to dive into life with everything we've got, with focus, determination, and a must-do spirit, there's only one kind of life we can live, and that's our very best life.
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