Posted by: maureen in win, surprise, privilege on
Feb 13, 2012
If you had all the money in the world, what would you do for fun?
A lot of you, from what you tell me, would host a radio talk show. The biggest surprise in the three or four years of having that on my resume is how many people want it on theirs.
Surprising only because they live in big homes next to movie stars or make the rounds of morning television shows or speak to audiences of thousands for more money--at one gig--than I used to make in a whole year. And when we finish recording interviews for The Career Clinic and I ask if I can return the favor their answers are often some variation of, “Yes. Please tell me how to get your job.”
I laugh. And I answer with some variation of, “I’ll tell you as soon as we figure it out ourselves.” Because The Career Clinic, while every bit the blast I imagined it would be when I dreamed it up twenty years ago, is a startup.
Read into that whatever you want!
It’s glamorous for two hours a week while we’re recording. The other one hundred and sixty-six hours of the week? I should turn it over to Darrell at this point, because it isn’t even glamorous for him for the two hours we spend recording.
And yet, and yet…this morning we had a little sunlight burst through sixteen years of mostly fog. His name is Mike, and not since Skip--who helped us find Mike, by the way--have we looked at each other and thought we might get to put North Shore Productions in the win column after all.
I love the scene in Rocky where he’s telling some kid if you hang out with bums, you’ll become a bum. You hang out with winners, however he worded it, and you’ve given yourself a chance at a good life.
I’ve never really thought of myself as a winner except in terms of the people I’m lucky enough to rub shoulders with. Darrell, Katie, Skip, Mike, Chris--to give you a few examples--what an embarrassment of (aspirational) riches!
All I want out of life is to have earned the privilege of having them in mine.
It hurts to lose.
I can still see Katie up on stage, clapping so hard for people who made it into the honors choir you would’ve thought she was their proud parent--not someone who lost out to them. As the applause died down I wondered what was left to want. What a sweetheart, this kid. What a privilege, to watch her grow up.
Darrell and I aren’t fans of the “everybody gets a ribbon” philosophy. You win some, you lose some…and pretending otherwise doesn’t prepare you for life.
I was surprised by how poorly Butler did in last night’s NCAA championship game. It was incredible for all the wrong reasons. That’s the way the ball bounced. But I bet the postgame, from the perspective of BU’s coaches and players, will be nothing but class. And that, sports fans, makes them champions.
In life it does matter whether you win or lose, and we’ll cover that on the next edition of
The Career Clinic. Management consultant
John Putzier will talk about why it’s not only okay but critical you pay people based on performance. Then--because how you play the game also matters--marketing consultant
Colleen Wainwright will show you how to talk in a way that builds yourself up without tearing anyone else down.
I can’t imagine looking forward to a program more than I’m looking forward to this one, though (with no disrespect to John or Colleen) (to the contrary!) I say that every week!
If you want to raise your game, I wouldn’t miss it.
But that’s me.
Posted by: maureen in privilege, path, direction on
Oct 18, 2010
Are you dreaming the impossible dream?
Are you sure?
Richard Gallagher makes his living helping people communicate better, even with themselves. He helps them decide, for example, if they should go for their dreams.
There’s something Richard calls The Law of Twice. Are there are least two people--somewhere, anywhere--who make a real living doing what you want to do? If so, your odds of succeeding just went way up because the appropriateness of the "impossible" label just went way down.
There’s something else commonly referred to as Not Reinventing the Wheel. If there’s a little bit of a path already blazed, Richard points out, why not get directions from those up ahead? You don’t necessarily have to ask them out for coffee in hopes they’ll…spill. There’s a good chance they’ve written blogs or even books about how they achieved their dreams.
Part of the fun of success is succeeding, granted, but often a bigger thrill is inspiring someone else.
Find people you’d like to emulate. Study them. Learn from them. And be sure to thank them for the privilege!
