ELEPHANT ALERT!
When I was ten I had an experience I will never forget. It was a typical, oppressive, hot and humid day in Minnesota. I’d been in the field picking rock for hours and wasn’t happy.
Suddenly, an idea came to me that would make my life easier – and possibly change the world!
Walking into the house I shared my secret. “Dad! Someday I’m going to invent a very thin, lotion-like substance that will insulate me from the sun and keep me cool. It will be like an invisible suit you can wear in the heat.”
My dad looked at me and laughed. “It’s already been invented, son.”
I was shocked. “Really?”
“Yep,” my dad replied. “It’s called sweat.”
Here’s the elephant in the office: There’s a lot of people under stress who are functioning as if they’re incomplete, as if they lack what it takes to be a success. They whine, complain, and mope around… wishing they had what they already have. Such people function in a perpetual state of failure.
What does it mean to you and your chances for success knowing that most of your competition is probably using this “elephant in the office” approach?
STOMP THE ELEPHANT
Try this conversation with a friend or team: What is the difference between determining what we need to acquire in order to be a success vs. determining what we can do to leverage what we already have to be an even greater success? As you consider your results, include in your observations the varied impact the two approaches have on attitudes, confidence and momentum.
Consider that you don’t need to invent sweat to be a success – you simply need to sweat.
Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?
