Chapter 1
“To Boldly Go”
Space: The Final Frontier.
These Are the Voyages of the Starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission:
To explore strange new worlds;
To seek out new life and new civilizations;
To boldly go where no man has gone before.
For more than half a century, these words have been ringing in the ears and thrilling the hearts of Star Trek fans around the planet.
In fact, it's probably fair to say that most Trek devotees could quote the mission of the Starship Enterprise from memory, immediately after being awakened from a deep sleep.
But what do these words really mean?
Are they anything more than just a cute opening line to a popular old TV show?
Do they have any application in real life?
And, most importantly for our conversation, what do they mean, or what could they mean, to someone seeking true success in their own life and work?
I’ve always believed that the words of the Enterprise's mission speak to the very heart of what it means to take on the grand adventure of building a career - and a life - you can be proud of.
If you've decided to embark on this mission with me, I believe, as the great network marketing trainer Eric Worre has said, that you are one of the “Smart Ones.”
You can see a future that no one else can see.
Where others see hardship, you see challenge.
Where others see failure, you see opportunity.
Where others see the end of the line, you see the beginning of a journey.
Where others feel fear, and draw back, you feel fear - and step forward with your head held high.
You understand, as do James T. Kirk, Jean-Luc Picard, Benjamin Sisko, Kathryn Janeway, and all the captains and commanders and intrepid space-faring souls of the Star Trek universe understand ...
… one eternal, unchanging, exhilarating truth:
Beyond what you can see right now, beyond what you can understand at this moment, beyond the outermost limits of your comfort zone, there is a vast galaxy of knowledge, of achievement, of human connection, and of triumph over fear and misunderstanding and obstacles and anything else that stands between you and reaching your life's highest goals.
But, with apologies to the Chinese philosopher Lao Tse: the journey of a thousand light-years begins with a single step.
Let’s take that first step together, by setting our course.
After all, if we don’t know where we’re going, we could end up, in the words of two famous Trek characters you’ll soon meet, in a situation where we’re “pursuing a circular course … and at Warp 10, we’re going nowhere mighty fast!”
Here’s what you can expect as we journey together:
First: For our purposes, I will be focusing my attention on the first two Trek franchises, namely Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation.
I have great respect and admiration for many aspects of all the other past and current Trek iterations (and who knows, you and I may be taking a look at some of them in the future – nudge nudge, wink wink).
That being said, these are the two franchises that I know best, so it seemed prudent to start with those that are nearest and dearest.
Second: We’ll be looking at episodes, scenes, characters, conversations, and actions from both the television series and feature films of these two Trek franchises.
Third: Much of what I’m going to share will be intended primarily for entrepreneurs, small business owners, salespeople, and network marketing professionals.
Certainly these are not the only places in the world where success and achievement may be found; but many of the examples that I have personally seen and experienced arise from within these professions, so we will focus our attention here for now.
Finally, each chapter will lay out:
If you’re new to the Star Trek universe, I hope you’ll come to realize, as I have, that Star Trek is more than just a TV show, more than just a movie:
It is, in many ways, a metaphor for life, an exploration of the human condition, and – if you’re willing to look a little deeper and with an open mind – a guide to help you on YOUR journey aboard the third planet in our solar system.
If, like me, you’re a lifelong fan, I hope you’ll find this a delightful stroll down Memory Alpha Lane!
Who knows, you might even be shown a glimpse into a rich trove of truths you may not have seen the first time your mind’s eye patrolled the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise.
Now then, our course is laid in, our engines are at full power – ready?
Here we go:
Ahead Warp Factor 9 - engage!