"He (she) who endures to the end wins," said the Chancellor of
the University of Santa Monica during a visit to our graduate
class. The statement stuck, and it has been true for me during
my many years as a business owner, student, wife, mother and
competitor.
Recently I gave a speech for a woman’s organization. As part of
the package, I was offered a table on which to sell my products.
The speech was a great success, the table another story! Unknown
to me, the organization planned the business meeting and agenda
items for presentation directly after my speech. The majority of
attendees had arrived late due to a major traffic accident,
missed networking and an opportunity to view my table before the
evening’s program began.
It was late, I was tired, I was trapped. Short of offending
folks by taking down my products table and leaving in the middle
of their meeting, I could see no graceful way out of my dilemma.
So, I waited, and I waited, and I waited some more. I watched
the audience begin to trickle out as the night deepened, morning
beckoned and the meeting droned on. Oh well, I thought, win some
and lose some. At that thought, a small still voice within
cautioned me, "The night isn’t over until you’re home. Be
patient. Wait and see."
What a concept. That evening I fell into a "why bother" trap.
Have you ever been hungry, angry, lonely or tired AND have to
perform in some way? I think we all have at one time or another.
The challenge is to step back and change your attitude. I do it
by commenting to myself, "SHow fascinating….this meeting is
long, I’m tired, etc." Distancing ourselves from the apparent
upset and accepting that there is something fascinating to be
learned moves us into a state of cooperation with the events as
they unfold, rather than what we project they should be.
Sure enough, patience was the name of the game that evening. As
the unwieldy business meeting, raffle and auction drew to a
close, the president asked the audience to stop by my table. A
short time later, I sold everything I brought with me, handed
out information and re-connected with my audience. I was the
last one to leave the room, satchel empty, pockets full.
He (she) wins who endures to the end. If you’re tired, over
worked and out of patience, just take a moment - breathe in,
breathe out and “wait and see.” It may be a cliché, but, "It
ain’t over til it’s over."
Copyright 2005 Lin Morel. You are welcome to use this article
online in electronic newsletters and e-zines as long as it
remains complete and unaltered (including the "about the author"
info).
|
