Setting New Goals

I had set a personal goal of finishing “D Day: June 6, 1944: The Climactic Battle of World War II” by the 65^th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy this June, but I didn’t make it.  I had to reset that goal to July 4^th and for so many reasons reading the final pages on Independence Day was even more meaningful. The book by Stephen E. Ambrose is based on the oral histories of the Allied forces who invaded France in World War II and in the months ahead liberating it from Germany. By the following year, the war in Europe was won.

As I was reading Ambrose’s book, I was impressed with how it took a world community to achieve the D-D landings using ingenuity, the strength of sheer numbers, and infinite passion. Ultimately, I agreed with the author’s assessment. It was adaptability that won the day and the war.

Many things did not go as planned on June 6, 1944. Even the original landing date was moved from the original June 5^th date because of bad weather. Ambrose concludes that the true secret weapon on D-Day and throughout the war was the ability to adapt, “adjusting and reacting to the unexpected where the enemy could not.” General Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. realizing that his landing was a mile off the expected mark on Utah Beach is credited with saying, “We’ll start the war from right here.”

There are many aspects about D-Day that correlate to our challenges today. It is taking combined efforts to get the job done. Our ability to adapt, to make “quick and decisive decisions” to help us survive and thrive are once again a key theme. What adjustments have you had to make to reach your goals?