November 30th, 2010
Total Distance for today: 0 miles
Total Distance for Tour: approx. 553 miles
LOCATION: Raleigh, NC
STATUS: Closing on some speaking engagements in the area!
Keep Being in the Right Place all the Time!
I’ve heard so many “fortunate” success stories from people who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Let’s be honest: I’ve told my fair share of them. I won’t deny the importance of “being in the flow of things,” as it has become an essential piece of my overall success; however, I think there’s something else that is very important and goes beyond luck and good fortune.
Since you can’t logically advise someone to “be in the right place at the right time,” it makes sense to advise him or her to “continually be in the right place.” What do I mean? In simple English: Continue to do the things you know you must to achieve success, even when it becomes monotonous or painful. You should certainly experiment and adjust your strategy, approach, and actions based on the feedback you receive, but success often comes down to a simple matter of persistence.
Case in point: I’ve been trying to get a hold of a fellow visionary, Phil Cooley, concerning possible collaboration on the Detroit Project for quite some time. Now, Phil is an extremely busy guy who has his hands in a lot of cool stuff, and that means that, as a complete stranger, it takes a little bit of persistence to get a hold of him. Well, today, my consistent efforts paid off: I was able to have a great discussion with Phil, and things appear to be moving forward.
Case number two in point: A woman saw me skating twice as I was approaching Raleigh, once on Sunday and once on Monday. She saw my banner, went to my website, and shot me an email. I’m now in contact with her, and we’re making the final arrangements for a speaking engagement at a school just a little north of Raleigh.
Take Home Lesson: Both of these successes happened because I continued to do what I needed to do to achieve success. It’s not always fun to make followup phone calls to every important client, prospect, or business partner, but persistence can and will lead to success. It’s not always fun to skate long distances over hilly, rough, and traffic-filled terrain, but persistence in this matter will lead to the success of this tour and the message I carry. I challenge you to stubbornly persist just a little harder on the specific things you know are important for the next couple of weeks. If you do, I have no doubt that you will see surprising new success.
P.S. Persistence will run you into a lot of “nos.” Recognize that “no” does not always mean “no forever.” Often, it means: “You haven’t hit me at the right time or with the right approach.” Do you realize that the average sale is typically made after the 7th contact with a new lead? Of course, you shouldn’t use this knowledge as an excuse to be obnoxious or creepy. Instead, you should be creative and alert in your persistence. Learn to differentiate between dead-ends and good opportunities, and success will be yours.
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