Monday Morning Momentum™
If we watch
commercials on television, listen to promotions on the radio, flip through magazine
ads, and read marketing emails, we are constantly told that we’re missing
out: we could be making lots of money by
working only a few hours a week, buying “special” products, or taking a weekend
seminar. We’re told our path to
greatness and having everything we want in life can be had almost overnight.
We know in our
hearts that success is not achieved this way.
Success takes time. When we get
away from all the marketing hype, we realize that sustained success comes to
those who love what they do, feel that their work matters, and are committed to
becoming experts in their field. During
good times and bad times we should invest in what is meaningful and
long-lasting.
Stephen King has
sold more than 300 million books. One of
his books, On Writing, is about the craft of writing and his journey as a writer. His success is not a get rich quick story. King wrote, “By the time I was fourteen (and
shaving twice a week whether I needed to or not) the nail in my wall would no
longer support the weight of the rejection slips impaled upon it. I replaced the nail with a spike and went on
writing.”
The next time you’re being seduced by a “short-cut to success” message,
think of Stephen King’s journey to 300 million books.
Rocket science and your plans
When we give up
believing there’s an overnight path to success, we’re faced with the reality
that achieving our dreams will require significant effort. And if we’re just getting started, things can
look complicated: there’s so much to
learn and do. This was the challenge I
experienced when I decided to form my own publishing business. I’m a newspaper columnist and speaker; I know
very little about book publishing: printing,
distribution, promotion, logistics, sales, and fulfillment. Everything I needed to do felt
overwhelming. (And if you read the news,
book publishing is a business in peril.)
And then, I got
lucky. I had longstanding plans to take
my family to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center; the trip helped me put everything back in perspective. We took every tour and we visited every
exhibit. We walked inside a retired
space shuttle. We watched the assembly
of components for the International Space Station. We saw one of the original rockets that took
astronauts to the moon. We took a
picture of the lunar rover.
On one of the tours
I learned that it took over 400,000 people working together to get the first
astronauts to the moon. 400,000
people! That’s a lot of rocket
scientists. When I heard that, I
immediately thought of my publishing effort; it just wasn’t that complicated
after all. It would require a lot of
work, but I could do it. I could succeed
on my mission without requiring rocket scientists.
Ask yourself if your
plan requires rocket scientists.
Our perspective
Life is full of
challenges, especially during this down economy. But, more than ever we must keep our
perspective. We must focus on what
matters.
Maybe it’s time for us
to have the persistence of Stephen King, and the inspiration of NASA’s rocket
scientists.
Copyright 2009 David J.
Pollay
Invite your family and friends to join you
If you want your family, friends, and colleagues to join us on our Monday Morning Momentum™ journey, send this post along to them.
Have a great week!
Best to you,
David
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David J. Pollay is the creator of The
Law of the Garbage Truck™. He is a
syndicated columnist with the North
Star Writers Group, creator and host of The Happiness Answer™ television program, and an internationally sought
after speaker. David’s book,
Beware of Garbage Trucks!™, is due out this summer.
David is the founder and president of the consulting and seminar organization, The Momentum Project. He is also a founding associate executive director of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA). If you want to reprint one of David’s columns, email david@themomentumproject.com. Here’s David’s full bio.
Hi Masterwordsmith!
Good to hear from you! Thanks for connecting with me, and helping spread the good message.
Stay in touch!
Best to you,
David
Posted by: David J. Pollay | May 04, 2009 at 03:23 PM
Hello,
I am so glad Dawn came to my blog to let me know that you are the author of "The Law of the Garbage Truck."
More importantly, I am really blessed to discover your wonderful blog filled with gems of wisdom.
Thank you for your work in motivating and inspiring us via cyberspace.
May God bless you and your family and your team always.
Best wishes.
Posted by: masterwordsmith | May 04, 2009 at 01:16 PM