Change stinks. No it doesn't.

8/11/2014

"Most of us are about as eager to be changed as we were to being born, and go through our changes in a similar state of shock." -James A. Baldwin

(As most of you know, James Baldwin was a writer and civil rights activist from Harlem who did his best work as a write in the 50s.)

Why James Baldwin? Why now?

James Baldwin NOW for the simple reason that we may all benefit from some inspiration to stay focused these last few weeks of summer in order to reach our goals. And that might constitute a change in our outlook during these remnants of a season when we might ordinarily take our foot off the gas. (To honor this concept, I've assigned myself a date of September 2 for the launch of my newsletter...and I'll need every part of the next three weeks to get it done!)

As individuals who are striving to constantly be the best we can be, we should not ever stop thinking about ways to improve ourselves. Not even now when the slowest days of Summer '14 are here! We can rationalize all we want about taking our foot off the pedal because it's "really nice out", but the real winners of the world - in life and in business - are those who are consistent in their pursuit of excellence. The ones who get to where they want to be are those who constantly work and apply themselves at their craft...their passion....their trade, etc.

If you have a goal, if you want something, if you want to change something, then don't use summer as an excuse...commit to it and buckle down. Develop your plan, work your plan! Of course take a break and hit the beach or links for some relaxation, but stay focused on your goals. CHARGE!

3 Comments

Paul McGhee link

8/22/2014 02:49:30 pm

Great quote! As many sales people do, I spend a lot of my time marshaling prospects through change management exercises. I will accept your call to become a better seller this summer by reading a book on Edwin Link, the man who invented the simulator for pilots in the 1930s. At the time, everyone thought pilots were 'born, not made', even though pilots in the US Aircorps were crashing and dying at the rate of 9 deaths per 20 days. When they finally started using Link's simulator, it fixed the problem and the rest is history. I think there are lots of parallels here to the current state of selling and understanding how Link went about convincing an entire industry to change from 'winging it' to 'practicing it' will improve my ability to build my business and change my industry.

MIchael Hess

9/2/2014 03:30:19 am

Love this, Paul. Gonna go find that book and read that one too in addition to all the others you've recco'd for me in the past. We're all just students, aren't we? (Though I'm glad you're not judging me by the student you saw me as at Ucla...I bloomed a little late! ;-)

Darrick

8/28/2014 04:07:41 pm

Yes. Yes. Yes. This goes for all aspects of life and all careers. I feel that constant self evaluation and self improvement is the key to a happy life. But for me, it's not directly going after the big goals. It's focusing on what I need to do every day. If I can hone my daily regimen and focus on small daily improvements, there's nothing that can stop me from reaching my goals. It's the ruts and small distractions that prevent us from reaching our goals. No one ever gained 100 pounds from eating one cheeseburger. It's the repeated small failures that add up. Changing yourself to avoid those small failures is core to reaching your goals.

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