IMG_0001(!) Remake!
Originally uploaded by Mareen Fischinger

Sometimes it’s not the system. Sometimes it’s not everyone else. Sometimes it’s not your terrible job. Sometimes it’s not the man. Sometimes it’s not your luck. Sometimes you just need to change your approach, your attitude, or your goals.

If you aren’t already doing some if these things, it’s probably time to change your approach:

1. Be exceptional; especially when everyone else isn’t.
2. Focus on engaging people, not on how many business cards you can collect.
3. When you compliment someone, mean it. Not much is worse than a fake compliment.
4. Step forward when needed. You may feel alone at first, but it may be everyone’s waiting to follow your lead.
5. When surrounded by mediocrity, you have two options. Leave or be the exception to the rule. Choose.
6. Challenge the status quo when necessary.
7. Always ask questions.
8. Be confident, but don’t be a know it all. There’s a difference.
9. Be consistent in everything you do. People like to rely on someone.

Start adding some of these ideas and others like them to your daily routine and it’s amazing how much better you will feel about your situation. In the very least, you can have peace of mind. At least then you’ll know it’s not you.

Originally uploaded by jen halski

Flashback to my city league baseball days as a mere 13 year old…

“I’m going to start you at 2nd base”, Coach Davis said to me when I arrived to the game. To say I was surprised would be an understatement. I had been with the team the past two years and played right field almost exclusively. The only reason I was starting at all was because I could hit decent and was fast on the bases (I know, hard to believe that today). My defense was my weak point. I was the kid who got bored in right field and would cross my arms and legs convinced no one would ever hit the ball to me.

I hadn’t practiced much at any other position but the outfield, so this announcement was a shocker to me, but I relished the chance. Suddenly, I was pumped up for the game. I couldn’t wait to get out there and prove I could play second base. I had a renewed sense of confidence and purpose. I also felt my coach had confidence in me that I had not had in myself before that game.

The Take Away: Sometimes all you need is for someone to show a little confidence in you. Maybe they see the potential you have not tapped and they’re giving you the opportunity to prove you can do more. It’s a confidence boost for sure and it gives you the chance to show what you’re made of.

How often do you give these opportunities to others? When do you provide your co-worker the nudge they need to take their talents to the next level? Do you show confidence in those you see talent untapped? Are you showing others their value?

If you aren’t doing what you can to help others, to provide opportunities when you can, or provide a nudge when one is needed then why not start today?

The Rest of the Story: That night I made all of the plays at my new position, including turning a double play. I was pumped up and I started focusing on my defense more as a result. I ended up playing there most of the rest of my youth baseball days as a result of that evening. Coach Davis didn’t make a life changing move. He wasn’t changing the world. I doubt he even remembers it today. But, it was the nudge I was needing at the time.

The best leaders have the ability to show others their value. Give someone the nudge they need today, and they’ll remember it for a long time. No matter how insignificant it may seem to you.

Joe Mather
Originally uploaded by Mark Halski

In The Wright Brothers: A Biography, there’s a scene where a man is trying to make the case that most people do things in order to get rich. Of the Wright brothers he asks, “Would they have worked all those years trying to fly just for their health?” He later reasons that it was the chance to make a fortune that kept them working so tirelessly to find a way for man to fly.

I have a dream. I’m going to guess that you do too. It could be anything. A way to use your talents to their full potential. A desire for change. A search for a solution to a complex problem or issue. Maybe it is your curiosity in things that has led you to believe something is possible, no matter how impossible the world says it is. One thing is for sure though. You have a dream.

Many things keep you from even attempting your dreams. Doubt, fear, and the word impossible come to mind as the usual suspects when it comes to detours to dreams.

Until the Wright brothers came along, human flight was impossible. At least in the eyes of the world. Even after the Wright brothers had found a way for humans to fly, they spent the next ten years having a difficult time convincing the world it could change the course of history. So even after flight became possible, the world was convinced it was irrelevant and useless.

Understand this: Even if you begin to make strides in a dream come true, there will be those who will dismiss it’s value.

Some of the most common arguments naysayers will make to persuade you to dismiss your dream will be, “You won’t be able to make much money doing that.”, or, “The competition is very high in that field. It’s very hard to break through.” They have the very same mindset as that man explaining what he thought motivated Orville and Wilbur Wright to invest in their dream of flying. They have fear. They have doubt. They believe it’s impossible.

Orville Wright was later told about the conversation and asked, “Do you think the expectation of profit is the main incentive to inventors?” He didn’t believe so and doubted that men like Alexander Graham Bell, Edison, and others were chasing their dreams simply because they could make a profit. He also pointed out that had he and his brother been so concerned about making a fortune, they would have tried something where the “chances for success were brighter.”

You have a dream. It could be anything. It may be impossible, but only until you come along.

Yikes!
Originally uploaded by drewmaniac

1. You have a bad attitude.
2. You’re in with the gossip circles.
3. You readily offer complaints, but rarely solutions.
4. You think you have no future within the company.
5. You have no real goals.
6. You only want the promotion to escape your current position.
7. You don’t perform in your current position.
8. You feel entitled to it.
9. You never work overtime.
10. You aren’t qualified and don’t impress enough for that to be overlooked.
11. You refuse to do anything outside your job description.
12. You try to go with the flow.

I hear so many say things like, “I don’t know why I didn’t get that promotion.” Well, there’s a good chance the reason is in that list. If you can identify the true reason, you can position yourself better the next time around. It might require some self reflection, but it’s worth it in the long run. Instead of becoming bitter or angry over being overlooked, see what things you can do to improve your odds for future position openings.

Obviously we could add more to this list. What would you add?