🚢 When the Lift Doesn’t Move Fast Enough – Maybe Your Perspective Should
Have you ever felt stuck in your career? Like things are
just… not moving fast enough?
Let me tell you a story. Not about a ship or a storm at sea, but about a lift.
🪞 Part 1: The Mirror That
Changed Everything
“Sometimes, the fix isn’t faster… it’s deeper.”
Years ago, employees in a company complained the lift was too
slow. It was eating into their time, frustrating their flow, and delaying
their work. Sounds like a familiar pain point in shipping operations, right?
So, the management called in engineers. The solution? A
faster motor, stronger cables, and a costly system upgrade. Expensive.
Time-consuming. Disruptive.
But before approvals were signed, a junior officer asked a
simple question:
“Why do we only feel frustrated in the lift? We waste more
time during lunch or tea breaks, but we don’t complain then.”
Because during breaks, people are engaged. In the
lift? They were bored.
💡His solution? Install
full-length mirrors inside the lift.
Suddenly, no one complained again. People got
distracted—fixing hair, checking outfits, engaging with their reflection. The
time felt shorter. The lift wasn’t faster. Their perception had changed.
🎯 Tags: #MindsetMatters
#LeadershipLessons #SmartSolutions
⚓ Part 2: Your Career Is That
Slow Lift Sometimes
“The lift is still moving… you’re just watching the clock
too hard.”
In our shipping world, we often say, “The charter is stuck,”
or “Promotion isn’t coming,” or “This client never responds fast.”
Feels like your career lift is too slow, right?
But is the real issue the speed? Or your engagement
during the waiting?
When sailors wait in port for clearance or operators wait
for CP amendments, frustration builds. But if we’re learning, reflecting, or
even mentoring during that time, it’s no longer wasted. It’s invested.
👉 This applies to your
life too. Whether you’re an officer at sea, a broker onshore, or a manager
juggling STS ops—if you feel stuck, it may be time to install that inner
mirror.
Ask:
- Am I
growing while waiting?
- Am I
learning something new?
- Am I
improving my mindset?
That slow moment could be your growth zone in
disguise.
🎯 Tags: #CareerGrowth
#SlowMomentsFastLearning #ShipOpsMindset
🌊 Part 3: The Root Cause
Isn’t Always What You Think
“Don’t upgrade the lift. Understand the frustration.”
This story teaches us something powerful: Fixing symptoms
costs more than addressing root causes.
In shipping, how often do we:
- Raise
claims before communication?
- Blame
port agents before checking voyage instructions?
- Assume
bad intent before asking questions?
Same goes in life.
A delayed charter party negotiation may not be the real
frustration. It could be a lack of clarity in team roles.
A frustrating crew member may not be inefficient—they may be poorly trained
or under-communicated.
👉 So, pause. Ask:
What’s the mirror I need here? What perspective shift will show me the root,
not just the result?
💡 Start treating causes,
not symptoms—in your career, relationships, operations, and
self-leadership.
🎯 Tags: #RootCauseThinking
#LeadershipFromWithin #ShippingLife
🔭 Part 4: The Power of
Perspective at Sea and in Self
“The real storm is not always outside—it’s in how we view
it.”
Just like the mirrored lift, the situation didn’t change.
But the experience did.
In our industry—where delays, audits, off-hires, and cargo
issues are routine—it’s your perspective that defines your peace.
- You
can either panic over lost time at anchorage...
- Or
use it to review last voyage learnings.
- You
can curse the “slow lift” of your career…
- Or
use the pause to sharpen your voice, your skills, your clarity.
🌟 Every delay can become
a mirror if you let it.
This is not about toxic positivity. It’s about realistic
reflection.
It’s about saying: “This lift may be slow. But I’m still moving. And I’ll
use this time to rise higher within.”
🎯 Tags: #PowerOfPerspective
#SelfLeadership #MindfulShipping
📣 Final Reflection from
ShipOpsInsights
Dear seafarers, operators, brokers, and shipping dreamers...
Life may feel like it’s moving slow sometimes. The sea might seem too still.
But maybe, just maybe—you don’t need to speed up the ship. You need to look in
the mirror.
🚀 The lift isn’t slow.
You’re just meant to rise consciously.
And when you shift your focus, time stops dragging… and starts delivering.
💬 Drop a comment 👇
Have you faced your own “slow lift” moment recently?
What mirror helped you change your perspective?
👉 Follow #ShipOpsInsights
with Dattaram for more real stories, powerful ideas, and maritime mindset
shifts.
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