Are You Prepared?

I saw a bumper sticker on the drive to work today. It read: It is a terrible thing to see, yet have no vision. This is a quote from Helen Keller, and reading it can immediately make one think, "I need to have more vision." We might continue our drive after seeing a bumper sticker like this, wondering how we became complacent, thinking of ways we can become more visionary. By the time we get to where we're driving to, other thoughts take over, and vision gets the back burner. The same thing happens at conferences. We hear a speaker tell us many things that seem so obvious, yet we've forgotten them somehow, and get excited about the truth that rings from them. By the time we're back at our office, 'reality' takes over, and we eventually look forward to the next conference, to get that feeling back again. And of course, we read business books. Many of them. But has all of this stuff really helped? Has it truly changed your life? Have you clearly and actively created a dynamic shift in your course based on all this information you take in? Coincidentally, earlier in the morning I had a phone call with a friend in Estonia, and we talked about this very issue. Inspiration can be a great thing, but if there is no structure or framework to apply the knowledge to, it doesn't stick. Athletes spend many hours exercising, musicians many hours practicing, and Buddhists debate. They do these things so that when inspiration strikes, they have a framework to apply them to. The experiences you have need to apply to something they can work within. Simply going to work and doing your job is clearly not enough. If it were, perhaps there would be only one business book, one conference, etc. We'd get the knowledge, apply it, and live happily and successfully ever after. When you want to have more vision, what exists in your life that can enable and sustain that practice? When you want to start your own business, what knowledge and resources do you have to do so? When you want to do your job better, what are the core reasons for doing that, and how can information you learn enhance those reasons? I can't answer these for you, but I'm writing this post today to ask you to think more about them. 800-CEO-READ has worked for many years to help connect people to helpful information, but we also realize that information is as meaningful as the ability of the recipient to act on it, and make a positive change in their lives. Are you prepared?