Some years ago I read an article titled, ‘Don’t wait for you ship to come in, swim out and fetch it’. The title itself caused me to sit up and take note, but it is what was written in the contents of the article that radically changed my perspective, my attitude and my future.
At the time I was working in a dead-end job, drifting along with the current and knowing that whether I worked hard or not, I would get paid at the end of the month and would get a ‘cost-of-living’ increase each year I remained there. To move up the ladder, I would need to wait for my boss to resign or pass away and as he was only 5 years older than me, I knew I was going no-where. I had also reached a place in my life where I had begun to ask the question, ‘Is this all there is?’
This article contains the most valuable lesson I read about from that article.
It has been said that all good things come to those who wait. This statement raises a very important question for me;
What do you do while you wait?
The idea of waiting for good things to come to them is exactly this kind of thinking that has kept most people from ever reaching their full potential. Most people will waste their entire life, waiting and hoping, and when nothing happens, they ask why? The founder of the Hilton Hotel Group commented, “Success seems to be connected to action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” Waiting does not produce!
The answer to the first question is simple really, “don’t wait for your ship to come in, row out and fetch it.” In other words, get busy. Be active. Set out your plans and take the action necessary to make them a reality. Yes, it is true that you may not succeed at everything you attempt and occasionally you may even burn your fingers, but you will definitely see more good things happen than if you just wait for good things to happen.
World War 1 French Prime Minister, Georges Clemenceau, said, “A man who has to be convinced to act before he acts is not a man of action. You must act as you breathe.” You see, taking action that is as natural as breathing is the only way in which your ship will get to you. “The right man is the one who seizes the moment”, said Johann Wolfgang Goethe.
The question I hear many ask is, “What action? What should I do to get to where I want to be?”
The answer to that question will become apparent when you have a clearly defined goal and destination to reach. Knowing where you want to be in the long term will always you to work backward to where you are now and will inform you of the immediate action that you need to take. It will show you the actions you will need to take along the way.
Success is not determined by the amount of money you are able to squirrel away in the bank, the car you drive or neighbourhood you live in. Success is determined by you understanding who you are, what you are here for and then becoming the best you, you can be! Your goal may be to be a great teacher. Then take the action necessary to become great teacher. Read what great teachers read. Hang out where they hang out. Design that which you want and go for it.
Why wait when you can get active, and make things happen. Life is waiting for you to happen to it and not the other way around. You will be amazed at the things you can accomplish, if you just have a go.
This article is taken from the !Audacious Rainmaker course. You can access the course by following this link.
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