…new knowledge to take the next step toward your goal.
Over the years a number of people have told me they’d really like to accomplish something worthy of note during their lifetime, but they’re not sure where to start. My answer is always the same: “You start at the bottom and work your way up.” A lot of people don’t like hearing this; they think there is some sort of magical short-cut they can take and avoid the humiliation of starting at the bottom. Unfortunately, there are no short-cuts when it comes to accomplishing great things–you have to “pay your dues.” Success is all about taking risks, learning from those experiences and then using this new knowledge to take the next step toward your goal. And, the more quickly you repeat this process, the faster you move toward your goal. As sales author and lecturer Joe Girard put it, “The elevator to success is out of order; you’ll have to use the stairs…one step at a time.” – Ross Reck, author of Instant Turnaround!
Ross:
Everything DOES start small, with a flicker of an idea… I absolutely agree with you. The joy lies in all the journeys to the goals, although we don’t realize it until after the goal is met. I am still processing the phrase “pay your dues”. I used it, a lot of people use it (like many phrases in our language) but it implies we’re part of a club or that we have to pay a price to get where we’re going. Are we part of a club? Are we paying a price?? Hmm… It’s really experience and insight we’re collecting… so are we really “collecting” our dues?
Thanks for reminding us and the food for thought.
Joe