When you work with someone for a long time, you begin to get in synch on things you're thinking about. Don't know how that happens, but once again Peter has posted a
topic that I've been thinking about recently. In his recent post A great big leap of faith, he talks about the importance of not losing your belief in what you're doing when you start to hit the obstacles that are sure to block your path. One of the biggest obstacles I see in people who have decided on a quest to achieve something big like The New York Times bestseller list is the problem of getting traction.
You know the problem I'm talking about--it's reflected in the person who loves to TALK about their great project, business idea, or plan to do something spectacular—but they never get around to actually DOING it. I had a friend like that once (notice I said “had”). Whenever I would call her and ask how things were going, she was always busy getting ready for a big promotional tour that was going to make her a fortune. In fact, she was so confident that she was going to hit it big that she and her fiancé were out looking at homes in very pricey areas on the Southern California coast—betting on the come, so to speak. I would always congratulate her and do the usual “Let’s grab lunch sometime,” and we’d hang up. I wouldn’t hear from her in a while and like a good friend I’d call back. “How are things going? How was the tour? Did you find a house?” “Oh that,” she would say dismissively. “It was small potatoes compared to what Jeff and I plan to do now. We’re starting this new company that everybody says is going to be a huge hit. We’ve hired a publicist and someone to build our Web site, and blah, blah, blah…”
And so it would go. This pattern went on for about five years (I can't believe I hung on that long) before I finally stopped calling, which was at least five years ago, and they haven’t made it “big” yet, nor have I heard from her .It has been my experience that there are far more talkers out there than doers; and, unfortunately, the talkers of the world are increasing at an exponential rate. It probably has to do with the current need everyone has to claim their 15 minutes of fame. The problem is, if you haven’t actually achieved fame from doing something of importance, you have to at least talk like you’ve done something—act like you’re successful. And, iIf you can’t be successful, then do something that will grab attention, no matter how stupid it is. Go ahead, put it up on uTube or Facebook and see how many hits you get. You too can be a star.
People who know how to get traction and actually accomplish something are the heros we should hold up. Kevin Daum has a plan and the passion of a doer. No one can guarantee that he'll be a success, but at least he's not just talking about it. He's implementing his plan, and that's refreshing.
