Monday, September 13, 2004

Can you catch the Bird?

Let me set the stage: Friday evening, 6pm at City Market in Savannah, Georgia. I am sitting in an outdoor cafe waiting for mypizza. City market is slowly filling up with tourists and locals, getting ready to enjoy the weekend.

There is this little girl, probably about 5 years old. She has this glow in her eyes and a face full of joyful expression as she chases a little bird, a sparrow, that is trying to pick up crumbs from the ground. And of course, as soon as the girl gets close to the bird, it flies off, only to land again a few feet away. The girl giggles and keeps on chasing it. This repeats itself for the next fifteen minutes, and the girl persists, full of excitement and a big smile on her face.

What is she doing? Does she really think she can catch the bird? - It doesn't really matter. It is the excitement of the POSSIBILITY that she might actually catch it. But she won't, because she does not realize that the bird is scared of her laughing, stomping, clapping and sudden jumps. If by any chance she were to ge a hold of the bird, she probably would be terrified of that little being flapping its wings wildly in her grasp.

I am sure, as she grows older, she will get more resourceful and will realize that she has a better chance to get a close look at this bird by sitting very still and perhaps lay out some bread crumbs to attract it closer to her.

Resourcefulness and Planning - that's the lesson of this story.

Think about the bird being a dream or a goal of yours. This may be a very rare bird that is hard to spot, i.e. a dream so big and far removed from you current reality that you have never thought about seriously pursueing it.

With a detailed action plan, YOU CAN bring these goals into your reality. But you must be resourceful and persistent in their pursuit. Ask yourself these questions and then act upon them:

-- What are my goals and dreams? Examine all of them, regardless how ridiculous or far-fetched they may seem to you.

-- Do I have them written down? Put them on paper and read them often. Write them out in great detail. Think about what you will be, have and do once you reachthem. Write down how you will feel and who else in your circle of influence will be part of your fulfilled dream. Keep them in frontof you every day and review them so they may become part of your daily routine.

-- Do I have a plan how to reach my goals? Look at the step-by-step actions you'll have to take to movetowards these goals, however small these steps are, they are significant. Remember that a 1-mile walk starts with your first step.

The little girl just doesn't know better at her age and she chases the bird without a purpose. What we can learn from her, however, is that she has ENTHUSIASM. Even though she has no success (=failure) she keeps on going, trying and persisting with a joyful attitude.

It is the journey toward success that should be enjoyable and fun. If it is not, then the dream is not worth pursueing.

For me, the SFI business opportunity is the perfect vehicle that teaches me to be resourceful. It gives me the skills and tools I need to "catch my bird". Like with the pursuit of that bird, SFI and any business project requires patience, persistence, passion and enthusiasm.

So I ask you today: Where is your bird, and can you catch it?

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