
Too many of us are too hard on ourselves, always alert to that devilish voice whispering "you should be farther along in life". Smother that voice right now by reading this quote by Booker T. Washington:
"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed."
What enviable wisdom!
Obstacles, impediments, interruptions. Have you ever had to retrieve a sick child from school when you're working with the direction and the intensity of a tornado? Yet I don't think he meant kind of interruption.
No, I think he meant much bigger obstacles. Obstacles with a capitol O. Like starting a business with no money. Or no skills. Like disabilities, or serious illnesses.
Every business person should take a look now and then at how far they have come, instead of how far they have to go. It's like looking back at the hill you just jogged up. I do this every time I have to re-do my resume. It's a natural time to reflect on what you've learned, how you've grown.
Get a boost as a business owner by evaluating more than the profits you've earned. How about determination, and courage, and wisdom? Those don't flow from the water fountain. Consider the knowledge you've gained -- often the hard way -- and the priceless result of real, gritty, experience. You could probably add a few important words to the popular Just Do It motto. How about Just-Figure-Out-a-Way-To-Do-It!
Even if you haven't reached the goals you once set (and they might need to be reevaluated), are you a better businessperson today? Reward yourself for your diligence! Do you understand your work habits and what motivates you? Do you concentrate and focus better, making fewer dumb mistakes? Once my boss had to stop the presses at a big city newspaper because I had missed a 2-inch tall headline in a multi-thousand dollar double spread ad that read "Granding Opening!" (My obstacle was apparently stupidity thicker than a brick wall that day.) Today I REALLY focus when I'm proofreading.
Of great importance, have you learned to appreciate that tomorrow will be a better day if you're having a bad one today?
If you've succeeded despite many obstacles, give yourself a boost by looking back. It shouldn't always come through a cup of coffee or in a candy bar wrapper or in bonus check. It should come from within you!
About The Author
Lisa Lake shares her ability to communicate through good writing with anyone who wants to learn. See her free tips at http://MyAdBlaster.com and catch advice from the staff at http://InternetWriters.com Quick turnaround on writing from classified ads to ezines and ebooks. Reach Lisa at lisa@drnunley.com or 801-328-9006.
AP - Israel resumed its Gaza offensive Wednesday, bombing heavily around suspected smuggling tunnels near the border with Egypt after a three-hour lull to allow in humanitarian aid. Hamas responded with a rocket barrage.
AP - Pink slips are piling higher as companies scramble to cut costs even deeper to survive the country's economic and financial storms.
AP - Pointing with concern to "red ink as far as the eye can see," President-elect Barack Obama pledged Wednesday to tackle out-of-control Social Security and Medicare spending and named a special watchdog to clamp down on other federal programs even as he campaigned anew to spend the largest pile of taxpayer money in history to revive the sinking economy.
AP - Senate Democrats beat a hasty retreat Wednesday from their rejection of Roland Burris as President-elect Barack Obama's successor, yielding to pressure from Obama himself and from senators irked that the standoff was draining attention and putting them in a bad light. Burris said with a smile he expected to join them "very shortly."
AP - Protests over the fatal shooting of an unarmed man by a Bay Area Rapid Transit police officer turned violent Wednesday night with windows broken, fires set and train stations closed.
AP - Confronting a grim economy and a Middle East on fire, Barack Obama turned Wednesday to perhaps the only people on the planet who understand what he's in for: the four living members of the U.S. presidents' club.
AP - Rain and high winds lashed Washington state Wednesday, causing widespread avalanches, mudslides, flooding and road closures as the heavy snowfall that has buried parts of the state began to rapidly melt.
AP - The upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama is an attractive target for international and domestic terrorists, but U.S. intelligence officials have no information about specific threats to the Jan. 20 event.
AP - Jeremy Lin scored 27 points to lead Harvard to an 82-70 upset over No. 17 Boston College on Wednesday night, three days after the Eagles upset previously top-ranked North Carolina.
Reuters - At least four rockets fired from Lebanon exploded in northern Israel on Thursday, wounding two people, police and medics said, in an attack likely linked to Israel's offensive against Hamas Islamists in the Gaza Strip.
Reuters - President-elect Barack Obama will call for quick action on a fiscal stimulus package in a speech on Thursday aimed at reassuring Americans that he is determined to stem the economic crisis.
Reuters - A fresh wave of profit warnings and job cuts soured investor sentiment on Thursday after an employment report suggested U.S. job losses in December could be the worst in almost 60 years.
Reuters - In an abrupt switch, Democratic leaders began talks on Wednesday to swear in Roland Burris, appointed by embattled Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.
Reuters - It took war, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression and the collapse of some of New York's famed investment banks, but Manhattan apartment prices are finally falling.
Reuters - The case of Ali al-Marri, accused of being an al Qaeda "sleeper" agent and held for 5-1/2 years at a U.S. military prison in South Carolina, will be an early test for President-elect Barack Obama.
Reuters - Accused swindler Bernard Madoff should be jailed for violating a court order by mailing $1 million worth of diamonds, watches and other jewelry to friends and family, U.S. prosecutors told a court on Wednesday.
AFP - The Israeli army fired into northern Lebanon on Thursday after rockets were fired at the Jewish state, an army spokeswoman told AFP.
AFP - Israeli warplanes bombed suspected arms-smuggling tunnels in southern Gaza early Thursday, as diplomats worked to secure a ceasefire in an offensive that has killed 700 Palestinians.
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