Creating Our Future History
[Music]
if there’s one phrase
that sums up 2020 so far it’s what the
future many of us imagine we are
marching boldly into the future
but actually we can’t often see what’s
coming right at us
it’s almost as if we’re standing with
our backs to the future
so how do we prepare for the unexpected
and
the unforeseeable future
by studying what’s staring right back at
us
the past now given today’s context
you may expect me to be talking about
the black death or the spanish flu
but i believe that what better way to
look at how to deal with the unexpected
than to talk about an unexpected topic
the d-day landings in normandy on june 6
1944 why
because as a young history student the
world war ii generation
whether they were civilians soldiers
holocaust survivors they taught me that
no matter what
unexpected or unwanted things life
throws your way
you choose your response
and d-day is the perfect example
of how to respond to an unwanted
and seemingly impossible situation
and we’ve certainly seen our share of
impossible situations this year
that’s why i want to offer you d-day
lessons for today
to help you learn how to create your
future history
that’s right your future history
is created through your actions today
our future history is created
through our actions today
now i’ve written about 10 d-day lessons
but today i’m going to talk to you about
three and we’re going to start with the
most basic one
that talks about really our mindset
and that is lesson number one
history is full of people doing the
impossible
yeah history is full
of people doing the impossible
so let’s turn back the pages to january
of 1943.
now hitler had unexpectedly invaded and
then was now
occupying most of europe at this time
stalin
was busy fighting what would be one of
the bloodiest battles
in the war in stalingrad and he was
demanding
that the western allies open a second
front
to divide hitler’s forces
churchill and roosevelt decided to meet
in casablanca
and it’s here at the casablanca
conference that
it’s the first time they
openly commit to making a cross-channel
invasion
sure william the conqueror had done so
in 1066
but what the allies would be attempting
was on a scale
that had never been seen before in
history
and at the time in january of 1943
circumstances didn’t seem like this was
going to be a possible
thing to do the german u-boats
were winning in the battle of the
atlantic
the allies didn’t have the air supremacy
that they would need
for a successful landing they didn’t
even have
the technology needed to land and supply
an army
on the beaches
but i guess they listened to eleanor
roosevelt
who had told them you must do the things
you think you cannot do
you must do the things you think
you cannot do
and so here are churchill and roosevelt
sitting in the sun talking to the press
committing to making that cross-channel
invasion
despite current circumstances
why because they knew
history is full of people doing the
impossible
and circumstances can change
so lesson number one
identify your current version of
impossible
and once you’ve done that then you can
move on to lesson number two
know what you stand for
yeah know what you stand
for because
pursuing the impossible it requires
dedication and perseverance
if you don’t know why you may never try
now venturing out into the unknown it’s
scary
and if you know why you’re doing
something it makes it easier
to keep moving alongside your fear
it can even help you make fun of it
churchill certainly knew the power of
humor when he said
if you’re going through hell keep going
declaring what you stand for also helps
you
it helps others stand with you
and there is power in numbers
so you’ve identified your current
version of
impossible lesson number one
and you know what you stand for lesson
number two
so now you can move to lesson number
three
to get good answers ask good questions
to get good answers ask
good questions
walls have been built throughout history
out of fear
anger insecurity but they rarely stand
the test of time
hitler tried to defend the entire coast
of europe
with his atlantic wall
can walls be made obsolete
if the allies first challenge was to
land an
army on the beaches the second would be
to supply that army
they needed a port
but in the failed raid on the port of
dieppe
in 1942 the allies realized
they would never be able to seize a port
and keep it operational at the same time
well so i guess they’re just going to
have to bring one with them
wait bring a port with them
like drag it across the channel
yeah that’s exactly what churchill
who is renowned for his creative
thinking framed
perfectly in this memo
let me have the best solution worked out
don’t argue the matter the difficulties
will argue for themselves
wow he’s not asking if it’s possible
he’s asking how
and so operational just three days after
d-day
port winston was set up off the coast of
apple marsh
it was an incredible engineering feat
they brought in old battleships that
they sunk to create
breakwaters they built cement caissons
multiple stories high and yeah dragged
them across
the channel
and the technology used to create the
platforms that would rise
up and down with the tide that
technology
is still used today in oil platforms
out at sea the wreckage of old caisson
sits off the coast of ahomash today a
testament to the power
of creative thinking
no matter how high or wide a wall
is there is always a way to move past it
walls are made obsolete by open minds
asking good questions
there will always be impossible
situations
so what happens when you replace
can i with how
can i suddenly
the impossible becomes possible
i never met a veteran or a civilian
who wanted the war to break out
it was as welcomed as the global
pandemic has been today
because you know we plan we build we
imagine
and then a wave of life comes rushing
over us
and all we can do is try to keep our
head above water
i mean how do we keep up with our daily
needs
how can we find joy amidst the chaos
step back gain perspective
study history
think about which stories you want to be
remembering later in life
and how does that influence then the
choices
you’re making today
i offer you three questions to use
as a compass because it’s not about
finding the answers
but really living the questions over
and over and over
one what’s your current version of
impossible
two what do you stand for
and three what happens when you replace
can i with how
can i
people say history repeats itself
but i say it rhymes we
create our future history
so what will you do with your time
[Music]
you