It would seem that many of the problems we face in the U.S. are based in reality not meeting our expectations. For example, there is a strong belief that one can hit the lottery, find the pot of gold, land the big one. This attitude infects many people.
There is a hope, desire and fantasy that one huge break will change our lives. In almost all cases, this proves false. The brass ring is missed when you reach for it from the merry-go-round.
Contrast that concept with one of incremental change: You work hard. You train. You develop. You take it step by step. Finally, after many years of effort, you see the fruits of your labor, your personal investment taking hold and demonstrating the type of results you sought. That is far more likely to occur.
At some point in my life (I don’t remember how many years ago), I began using a phrase about climbing stairs: “You start at the bottom. Take the first step. To get to the third step, you must ascend the second. You can’t skip steps.”
We all want to take those leaps, and jump two or three rungs higher quickly. Sometimes this is possible for the supremely talented (physically, mentally, creatively or emotionally), but not for most of us, nor in most cases. Michael Jordan, for example, though he can play high quality golf, had no chance of ever making the pro tour. Nor would he ever ascend to the major leagues in baseball.
When fortunate, we are able to move up in jobs or athletics a couple of stairs at a time, rather than one. That’s a good sign. It means you’re heading down a path that fits your talents. Keep at it.
In 2004, I took a job in the security industry. As part of my position, I handled public relations for a non-profit working on alarm management issues. The problems faced by the security industry in this area were not going to be resolved overnight. They took years forming. They would take years to improve in a significant way. We could make a dent, but I advised our top people that the task to get the industry and other stakeholders thinking and acting differently was probably 3-5 years down the road. We’d have to stick with it.
We saw results in the timeframe I suggested. Incremental change created positive outcomes.
As a former high school and college basketball referee, I wanted to officiate the big games. Like other men and women (not “all” by any means), I wanted to jump to the visible, highly contested matchups without putting in the time necessary to prove I could do all the lower levels successfully. Most of us do things like this in similar circumstances. It’s hard not to because you want something badly. You must postpone gratification and look beyond yourself.
It seems to me we’ve continued to lose that willingness to sacrifice for something beneficial down the road. We see this in politics, careers, our fitness regimes and our love lives. We don’t want to put the time in, but we think there should be big results.
The pot of gold battles incremental change. Our egos dominate our work ethic. That’s not a good thing. If we’re going to solve some of the major problems facing this country (and the world for that matter), this conflict is one of our biggest obstacles.
Stop pointing fingers. Stop blaming. Roll up your sleeves. Get it done. I’m eagerly waiting to see who chooses to come forward and work hard for others for the collective good of our country in the months ahead.
There is a hope, desire and fantasy that one huge break will change our lives. In almost all cases, this proves false. The brass ring is missed when you reach for it from the merry-go-round.
Contrast that concept with one of incremental change: You work hard. You train. You develop. You take it step by step. Finally, after many years of effort, you see the fruits of your labor, your personal investment taking hold and demonstrating the type of results you sought. That is far more likely to occur.
At some point in my life (I don’t remember how many years ago), I began using a phrase about climbing stairs: “You start at the bottom. Take the first step. To get to the third step, you must ascend the second. You can’t skip steps.”
We all want to take those leaps, and jump two or three rungs higher quickly. Sometimes this is possible for the supremely talented (physically, mentally, creatively or emotionally), but not for most of us, nor in most cases. Michael Jordan, for example, though he can play high quality golf, had no chance of ever making the pro tour. Nor would he ever ascend to the major leagues in baseball.
When fortunate, we are able to move up in jobs or athletics a couple of stairs at a time, rather than one. That’s a good sign. It means you’re heading down a path that fits your talents. Keep at it.
In 2004, I took a job in the security industry. As part of my position, I handled public relations for a non-profit working on alarm management issues. The problems faced by the security industry in this area were not going to be resolved overnight. They took years forming. They would take years to improve in a significant way. We could make a dent, but I advised our top people that the task to get the industry and other stakeholders thinking and acting differently was probably 3-5 years down the road. We’d have to stick with it.
We saw results in the timeframe I suggested. Incremental change created positive outcomes.
As a former high school and college basketball referee, I wanted to officiate the big games. Like other men and women (not “all” by any means), I wanted to jump to the visible, highly contested matchups without putting in the time necessary to prove I could do all the lower levels successfully. Most of us do things like this in similar circumstances. It’s hard not to because you want something badly. You must postpone gratification and look beyond yourself.
It seems to me we’ve continued to lose that willingness to sacrifice for something beneficial down the road. We see this in politics, careers, our fitness regimes and our love lives. We don’t want to put the time in, but we think there should be big results.
The pot of gold battles incremental change. Our egos dominate our work ethic. That’s not a good thing. If we’re going to solve some of the major problems facing this country (and the world for that matter), this conflict is one of our biggest obstacles.
Stop pointing fingers. Stop blaming. Roll up your sleeves. Get it done. I’m eagerly waiting to see who chooses to come forward and work hard for others for the collective good of our country in the months ahead.