One of my first internship jobs as a college student was working for a defense company who, at the time, developed a highly sophisticated torpedo for hunting down submarines and destroying them. The operation of the torpedo was pretty fascinating. The torpedo was launched from the deck of a ship or dropped from a helicopter into the water.

The torpedo would then turn on and initiate a search mode, where it would make circular patterns while constantly pinging. Pinging is the sound the sonar device makes when it wants to bounce sound waves off objects underwater. The torpedo had what was called an underwater signature recognizer, a device that compares the echo outlines of each incoming sound wave with a database of other outlines. The goal, find a submarine outline.

Once it detected something that might be a submarine, the torpedo would then go after the target. As the torpedo got closer to its potential target, it would continue pinging and comparing each echo (outline) in order to be sure the object was indeed a submarine. The closer the torpedo got, the better the definition of the echo.

The torpedo would break off its attack mode if, as it got closer to the acquired target, it realized the silhouette did not match; if the object was a false alarm, it would steer off course. For example, the torpedo was able to discern a submarine from lets say a whale, a school of fish or an underwater rock formation. So, as the torpedo got closer and discovered the object wasnt a submarine, it would break off and terminate its attack mode. It would then begin a new search pattern all over again in another area. Take a lesson from the torpedos behavior. Right now, many of you are in the search mode looking for your target. Youre trying to find somethingsomething that will fulfill you, something to look forward to everyday.

In order to find success, we need to create search patterns.

But a recent survey confirmed that 53% of people in the workforce are unhappy and over 75% would rather be doing something else. Unfortunately, many are afraid to search for something new or have simply given up pinging for their true calling. Dont be a statistic. Continue pinging until you find what it is you truly love to do. Only then, will you be successful and more importantly, happy. Remember, the toughest road to success is the road back to youthe real you!