Show Time!

I hope a lot of you got to watch and enjoy the Summer Olympics over the last couple of weeks.  I honestly caught bits and pieces but I live in a home where if the TV was on the last two weeks it was tuned only to one of the NBC networks.  I'm sure some higher ups at NBC in New York would like to know that.  Admittedly, I enjoyed seeing Paul McCartney at the opening ceremony and Queen minus Freddie Mercury at the closing ceremony as much as I did some of the amazing athletes.  There are few things in this world I love more than music. 

As with most people I can't help but marvel at the feats of some of the athletes.  It is a beautiful thing to watch someone like Michael Phelps break a record for the most Olympic medals - a record that has stood for my entire lifetime.  I can't help but think of all of the time and effort he has spent over the last 10 years or so preparing, training, practicing and visualizing what it would mean to be the all-time Olympic champion. 

The same is true for many of the great athletes.  If we could calculate the amount of preparation relative to the amount of time they actually spend competing in the event it would have to be a figure measured in thousands, if not tens of thousands to one.  It's hard to imagine being that dedicated to one goal for so long and then win, lose or draw within a matter of minutes, if not seconds, the race is over.  Because I am a salesperson, I actually totally get it. 

Earlier this month I was in New York for a week.  Today some people on my sales team are preparing for trade shows in Atlanta and Dallas and next week I will be in Las Vegas for the MAGIC show which is arguably the most important of all.  For my business August is my Olympic stage.  Everything that has happened from March to July has been a build up for what will happen next week.  Just thinking about being there, seeing customers and discussing business opportunities for early 2013 is a huge adrenaline rush.  Please understand, I have never been nor will I ever be anything resembling an Olympic athlete.  But I do have a greater appreciation for how it feels before going in to competition.

The pressure to succeed, if I allow myself to think about it is huge.  Not only for me but for everyone who works alongside me, those who support me and those whom I support.  Just as a star athlete must do, I imagine, I am prepared to block all of that out and be ready to compete to the best of my abilities next week.  I am on the show floor for a total of 28 business hours.  A minuscule amount of time compared to the time, energy and expense that has gone in to preparing for those 28 hours.

I can only imagine the rush someone like Usain Bolt gets by being the greatest sprinter on the planet.  Yet, next Tuesday morning at 9:00 pacific time when the doors of the Las Vegas Convention Center open to customers from all over the world I will put that rush up against any 100 meter dash.  Was it worth all the time and effort I put in to it for a mere three days on the show floor?  Without question. 

It's show time!  Let the game begin!

A little goes a Long Way

Next month we will mark the four year anniversary of when most experts agree the global economic crisis began.  Although it is an inauspicious occasion as with most troubled times there are lessons we can learn as we go through the struggle as well as many good things we can take with us whenever things finally recover - which is anyone's guess.

If you're like me over the last four years you have done a lot of analyzing, reflecting, soul searching and planning while realizing that many of the things that you thought were essential really aren't.  When we are forced to make sacrifices we often find that all we have is all we really need.  The 80's, 90's and early 00's taught us to live extravagantly and well beyond our means.  We did it, corporations did it, and lending institutions did it, just to name a few.  It has taken a long time to clean up our mess but I sense that we are getting close to exiting this crisis.  In a much better state of mind than we were before it began.

I don't know if the prosperity of past decades will ever return to the degree we enjoyed in decades past.  Whether it does or not I believe we have all learned to enjoy what we have and appreciate our opportunities to a degree that we never would have had we not experienced the hardships of the last four years.  More than that, I believe we have become much more dependent on our families, coworkers and others who challenge us to be our best.  I am much more apt today to appreciate the times I have to collaborate with coworkers, enjoy free time with my family and to draw everything from this life I can through diligent effort.  Another way to say it is I am not afraid to work harder, love better and enjoy every day because I am grateful for each and every opportunity I have. 

Call me old school but I think this crisis can and has made us better people.  Our selfishness and overbearing behavior has been taken away from us and we are forced to be more others focused, compassionate and dare I say kind?  Yes, I sense and overarching desire amongst us all to be more helpful and considerate in all of our relationships. 

With a little more gratitude and a little more kindness driving our thoughts, behaviors and actions I am excited to see what the next few months and years will look like.  It's a fascinating study that bears watching as each day we try to give a little more of ourselves to those around us.  I for one believe that we have more of an opportunity to positively impact the future than at any other time in my life.  What will your contributions be today?  Tomorrow?  This fall? 2013?  We all have a lot to give and a little from each of us will have future implications beyond our ability to gauge.