ELEPHANT ALERT!

Is it possible the difference between succeeding and falling short of your goals comes down to one characteristic? There are many success variables – but one is more important than all the rest.

Observe the people around you: What percentage of the time are they bringing their ‘A’ game? Giving their best effort?

Here’s the elephant in the office: “It drives me crazy,” said my neighbor. “There’s a small group of us at work who give the job our all. And then there’s a whole bunch of people who seem to be going through the motions. It’s like life is just a dress rehearsal for them.” He shook his head. “What are they waiting for?”

STOMP THE ELEPHANT

The difference between those who succeed and those who don’t isn’t just talent. And it certainly isn’t luck. The key characteristic is this: Successful people always bring the best version of themselves to the game.

A friend named Jay recently started his own business. Within a year he’s not only profitable – his biggest challenge is managing the rapid growth. I asked him, “What’s your secret?”

His answer inspires: “I show up. It’s that simple. Every day, in every meeting, I give my all. It surprises me how many people come to the dance – but don’t dance.”

What’s on your schedule today? If you’re like most, you’ve got little or no time to prepare. How will you ever be successful? Try this: Before each meeting, ask yourself this question: What will I do to be the best I can be? Then engage. Dance. Show up. Be on a roll. Contribute. Drink it up.

Dress rehearsal is over.

Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?

This entry was posted on Monday, August 11th, 2008 at 3:52 pm and is filed under Attitude, Meetings, Results. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.