Carpe diem… seize the day. There is no time like the present to take the steps necessary to move your business forward, or to move it up to the next level. However, while business owners and managers are looking hard for the answers to their challenges and opportunities, the answers are right in front of their face. It reminds me of a joke I once heard:
A terrible storm brought torrential rains to a southern town that sat on the banks of a lazy river. It rained and rained until the river began to flood. The order was given to evacuate the town while there was still time, and everyone but Tom got out of town as quickly as they could. Tom’s neighbor urged Tom to leave with him, but Tom said, “I have faith that the Lord will save me.” And he stayed put as the waters rose.
The rains kept falling at quite a clip and a police officer making one last sweep of the town called out to Tom to jump in his 4×4 and get out of there. “Thanks, anyway,” said Tom, “The Lord will see me through this.”
The floodwaters continued to rise, the rain continued to fall, forcing Tom to the second floor of his house. Along came a fireman in a rowboat. “Hurry,” said the fireman. “Climb into the boat or you will surely drown.”
“No thanks my friend,” said Tom. “I’m a devout man, the Lord will save me.”
The rains really began to fall and the floodwaters forced Tom to climb up on his roof. A rescue helicopter soon appeared overhead and lowered a cage for Tom to climb into in order to be whisked away to safety. But Tom refused. “I appreciate your offer,” Tom yelled up to the rescuer. “But as a man of faith I believe the Lord is going to save me.”
The waters rose and soon were raging over the roof top, sweeping Tom off his perch and he soon drowns. He arrives in Heaven and says, “Lord, I was a devout man and had faith that you would save me. Why did you let me drown, why didn’t you try and save me?”
And the Lord replied, “Tom, I did try to save you. I sent a neighbor, a policeman, a fireman and a rescue helicopter!”
Many business managers are like Tom, waiting to be rescued while rescue attempts are being made right before their eyes… and yet they miss these opportunities. In search for a lifeline, or some epiphany, many overlook the obvious or close their minds to taking the path that will lead them where they need to go.
Still others have no idea that they need to be rescued. Like some of the poor people in New Orleans with Katrina bearing down on them a few years ago, they go about their daily business as if nothing is awry. The signals are there, the warnings have been issued, but still they trudge forward, ever forward, until it is, often times, too late.
Your Business, Your Fate – Seize the Day
We cannot expect success to bump into us; we must open our eyes to the true opportunities all around us and then do something with them.
Sometimes business management takes action. But, the action that is often taken by many is simply working harder and harder at what they have already been doing. However, to truly make positive changes in the way we do business, doing the same old thing harder won’t cut it. We must step out of our comfort zones and do something differently.
But how? Where do we start? When that neighbor, or public servant or rescue helicopter offers their help, how do we recognize it and take advantage?
Try starting here:
- Plan – Visualize what you want to achieve and then plan how you will get there. When assistance is offered and you are not sure if you should accept it or not, evaluate it, try to understand it and how it may fit into your goals. Your vision and plan will help you recognize the path you should take and will assist you in decision-making.
- Make choices – Seize some opportunities and allow some others to pass by. Those who see opportunities in most everything they do must learn that they can’t possibly act on all of them. Each opportunity should be weighed against its costs: money, equipment, time, commitment.
- Avoid Analysis Paralysis – There is no ultimate solution, nothing is ever the perfect answer, so we should not waste time looking for one or waiting for one. Failing to take action because someone is waiting for the perfect solution is a way of avoiding making a decision and taking action.
- Brace yourself and make changes – It’s human nature to preserve the status quo, to continue with business as usual, to avoid rocking the boat. Ask yourself: is my business where I want it to be? If not, it’s time to start rocking the boat!
- Take action with commitment – As consultants, nothing saddens us more than projects executed halfheartedly and then abandoned. Remember the excitement you felt during the planning stage, and the conviction when you decided to start making changes. Don’t give up just because it’s harder than you expected, or too easy to fall back into old habits.
Tom was offered a number of viable options to survive the flood. Any one of them would have done the trick, but he looked beyond these options and paid the price in the end for his in-action. Had Tom recognized the opportunities that had come his way he would have survived.
When similar opportunities present themselves to you, will you look past them for the ultimate opportunity, or seize the day? It’s all up to you. Follow our advice above and you should be able to enable yourself to make good choices and take strong, positive action.
“If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.”
– Neil Peart
“Go forth boldly in the direction of your dreams; live the life you’ve imagined.”
– Henry David Thoreau