Who’s in Charge – You or the Rain?
This is a blog from Bill Stainton, www.billstainton.com worth passing on.
It’s a cold, gray, rainy day here in Seattle, and I noticed fewer people at the gym this morning. Coincidence? Perhaps, but I don’t think so.
See, I almost didn’t go to the gym myself. Who wants to go to the gym on a miserable day like this?
For that matter, who wants to go to work? It’s a dreary, depressing day–a perfect day to rent a few movies, pop some popcorn, wrap yourself in a blanket, and take a break from it all.
Some people might do that. But not the award-winning performers.
Award-winning performers don’t let the rain dictate what kind of day they’re going to have. They don’t let an overcast sky tell them they’re not going to be productive. They don’t let the lack of sun keep them from shining. Award-winning performers know that their accomplishments begin with attitude, and that attitude is an inside job.
Look, it’s easy to blame lack of success on outside factors: the economy, European unrest, the weather. And there’s no question that these and other factors do have an impact. But they’re not the whole picture; otherwise we’d all be struggling. When it comes to big factors like these, we’re all swimming in the same pool. But in that same pool, some people are drowning, some are treading water–and some are swiftly and smoothly swimming laps.
It’s raining all over Seattle today. There are about a million people in this city and the surrounding areas, and it’s raining on all of us. We all woke up to the same weather. Some of us took one look outside and went back to bed. That’s a choice. Others took a look outside, shrugged it off, and went to work, generating hundreds, thousands, maybe even millions of dollars (and, given that Bill Gates lives here, that’s a pretty good bet). That’s a choice too.
I don’t know what the weather’s like where you are. And you know what? I don’t care. And neither should you.
You can choose to let your life be dictated by the whims of the weather. Or you can choose to live your life as an award-winning performer. Because it’s not really about the weather–it’s about the choice.
Your move.