How Little Can I Get Away With?

I was reading an article this morning written by Jerry Del Coliano. He was a professor at USC and a veteran in the radio broadcasting industry. I thought that his point was very interesting. Here it is summarized with my own thoughts added:

As a college professor, I'm amazed at the attitude that many students have toward their education. On the first day of each semester, one of the first questions from students is, “how many days can we miss”. This question is likened to buying a car and telling the sales person that even though you paid for air conditioning, you would like to get the car without AC. Even though someone paid thousands of dollars for that class, the first thing the typical student wants to know, is how much can I "not take" of what I’ve (or someone) already paid for and still get through.

I think that this is a profound observation with regard to life. When we choose a profession, is our mission to be the best or to just get through so we can move on to some other more entertaining, albeit less profitable, endeavor? Depending upon how you answer this question – in your mind – and how you act upon what it speaks to – in your life – I believe that you can safely predict your life's success story.

You see, excellence in any endeavor requires practice. Sure there is the occasional prodigy (lucky person) or the “trust fund baby” (most of whom I know are now broke). The fact is that virtually every person I know worked for years and years through triumph and failure, over and over to become successful.

Malcolm Gladwell, in The Outliers, talks about what the common thread of success is in professional Hockey players. It includes such things as what month of the year they are born and the impact that has on the number of hours they practice. It is generally stated that successful talent/development takes approximately 20,000 hours of dedicated practice.

As I consider how lucky I am in my life’s endeavor, I’m reminded of all of the metaphors that I’ve heard over my life that encapsulate that premise. Perhaps my favorite is “The harder I work, the luckier I get” (paraphrased from Thomas Jefferson’s original quote).

At Branding Plus, we are focused on what we do. We are single minded and believe that our knowledge and years of practical experience empower us to help you grow your business. Our focus is outcome as opposed to how much money we can make on any aspect of our work. We know that if we help you get what you want, that each night when we retire for the evening that our basket will be full.