People Power - December 2009
By Scott Humphrey
There is a great video on You Tube. It is
a short segment recorded for Mad TV starring Bob Newhart in his old role as a
psychiatrist. In the segment, a patient comes in who has been referred to
Newhart because of Newhart’s ability to help patients overcome challenges. He
nicely explains that his sessions cost $5 for the first five minutes and nothing
after that, as his sessions never go beyond five minutes.
The patient
feels this is too good to be true, but cooperates. When the clock starts, she
explains that she has a fear of being buried alive in a box. Upon hearing this,
Newhart explains that he has a two-word solution to her problem that he wants
her to listen to very carefully and then take the words out of the office and
incorporate them into her life. When the patient asks if she should write them
down, he explains that most people are able to remember them. He then sits
forward in his chair and shouts at her, “Stop it!”
Don’t you wish it
were that simple? If you are like me you grew up hearing statements like,
“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” This seemed like great advice. I
heard it from my father and have even passed these words of wisdom on to my own
son. As I write this column, however, I am keenly aware that this advice is not
always sound. Bear with me. I’m confident you will understand.
Let’s face
it, as we look forward into 2010, there is much that is uncertain: the economy,
consumer confidence, and unemployment, just to name a few. In past issues
leading into a new year, I have focused on goal setting and what you need to do
to make the next year a successful one. This year I want to encourage you to
just quit. That’s right; I am asking you to be a quitter. I’ll go even further.
I want to assure you that if you will focus on being a quitter next year, it
will be one of your most successful years both personally and professionally.
So, I have created a list of the top things you will need to quit in order to
achieve success in 2010.
• Quit doing things the same way and
expecting different results. Einstein stated that this was the definition of
insanity. If it’s not working, doing it faster and working at it harder will not
likely change the outcome. If you want something you’ve never had, you must do
something you have never done. Stop it!
• Quit looking back. It’s
impossible to walk a straight line when you’re looking back over your shoulder.
You can certainly learn from your past mistakes, but you can’t live there.
Unless you want to be defined by your past and the mistakes that have fashioned
you into the person you are today, you must quit living back there. Stop
it!
• Quit the blame game. We’re part of a society full of people
who are busy playing the blame game. They focus on the three “if onlys”: if only
I, if only someone, and if only God. The reality is you are where you are. You
can enjoy it, fix it, or change it. Be thankful for what you have and the
ability to change where you are. Quit questioning the decisions that got you
here. Stop it!
• Quit living on the sidelines. I’m amazed at how
many dealers and retail sales associates are still waiting for the customer to
come to them. Get off of the sideline and get into the game. Go out and get the
customers. This is not your high school prom. Being a wallflower is not an
option. Quit standing on the sideline and get into the game. Stop it!
•
Quit dreaming and start doing. You know that someday that you always talk
about? Well, someday is here. It’s one thing to have dreams. It’s another thing
to die with them. The most miserable people on earth are those who face their
end with dreams still in hand. Stop it!
• Quit being satisfied with
good enough. The reality of today’s world is that good enough is no longer
good enough. If you have people working for you who are just doing enough to get
by, you’re carrying them. They quit long ago. They just decided to quit at your
place of employment. There are many good, qualified people who find themselves
unemployed today. The pool from which you can pull to replace an employee of
lackluster performance is too vast to justify you hanging on to someone who is
satisfied with just getting by. Stop it!
• Quit flying solo. There
are many businesses that are in the same predicament as you. They are challenged
and often feel they are struggling just to keep their head above the water.
You’re not alone, so quit acting like it. Tap into the vast resources that are
available to you. Begin to network with those in your community. Utilize social
media to network with those around the world who are getting it done in the face
of enormous obstacles. Bill Curry, former ACC and SEC college football coach,
once told me, “Someone is going to succeed in this economy. Why not you?” Great
advice. Let me add to it. If you want to succeed, surround yourself with
winners. Those who stand alone, die alone. Stop it!
• Quit focusing on
everyone else at the expense of you. I work with a fantastic lady. She has a
heart that is always focused on others. Today I had to ask her to take care of
herself. Think about this. When there is no more of you, who’s going to take
care of them? I know it is hard to understand, but not taking the time to focus
on your own health—physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually—because
you are too busy helping others is selfish. That’s right, selfish. We get a good
feeling from helping others, but who will help them when you aren’t able? They
need the opportunity to solve their own problems, problems they won’t solve if
you will do it for them. We live in a country that is full of people who’ll let
you do it for them. This is rarely the right solution. Stop it!
• Quit
crippling comparisons. Yes, you are similar to others, and your situation is
as well. But you are also created with a unique combination of talents and
abilities that, when used correctly, will help you to achieve success and peace
at your own pace, in your own way. There’s no problem with benchmarking with
others to determine if you’re doing everything you can to achieve success. There
is a problem when you use these comparisons to constantly reinforce your false
belief that you will never get there and that you don’t measure up. Stop
it!
• Quit dreading the future. It’s coming whether you dread it or
not. One of the reasons we dread the future is because we feel so out of
control in the present. When we make decisions today that affect our futures, we
gain a sense of control over the course of our lives. Dreading the future causes
us to lose our joy in the present. Stop it!
So there it is, a list of
best things you can quit in 2010. Why not start now in preparation for an
amazing new year? I encourage you to watch the full video clip I referred to at
the beginning of this article. It was the inspiration for much of what was
written. You will find it at You Tube under Bob Newhart Stop it!
It’s my
hope that you will keep this copy of Floor Focus close by and refer back to this
column throughout the year. May 2010 be a year where you can say I was a
quitter…and be proud of it!
Copyright 2009 Floor Focus