I've gotta tell you what happened in Vegas! Okay, I know that "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas," so I won't tell everything, but this happened so long ago and it's not "that kind" of information anyway. It's a lesson I learned the hard way. Usually when people go to Las Vegas, they are going primarily to feed the slot machines, but that's not the type of gambler that I am. I spent a considerable amount of money for airline fares, hotels, and food to go work a trade show, betting that I would write enough business while I was out there that I would receive a healthy return on my investment. But it was not to be. I ended up just like the majority of the "conventional" gamblers who go to Las Vegas...I went out there with my pockets full and returned empty-handed. However, this story has a happy ending because on that particular trip, I figured out where I had erred and also how to correct it. It was an expensive lesson, but it was one that I never forgot, and the knowledge that I acquired on that trip has been invaluable since then.
Without going into too much boring detail, let me just tell you that I went there without a well thought out plan of action, and I allowed myself to become too easily distracted from my real focus. So I fell on my face. Have you ever known someone who has big plans and big ideas until they feel a breeze blowing from another direction, and then they just discard all their previous plans and turn in the direction of the wind? That's what I was allowing to happen to me, until I realized the error of my ways and made up my mind that from now on, I'm following the way I know is right regardless of which way the wind starts blowing. I've decided that if I'm the hound chasing a deer, I'm gonna stay on that deer's trail regardless of how many rabbits run across my path. I WILL STAY FOCUSED!
I wish I had kept track of how many times I've had people come to me and say, "I've got some big plans and I want you to be a part of those plans." But if I turn aside and start chasing that rabbit, there will be another rabbit that will run across my path and distract me from that goal; and before I know it, the deer that I was chasing has gotten away for good. And it has nothing to do with how hard I work. On that trip to Vegas, I worked hard every day I was there, and at night I was exhausted from my days' labors, but I had accomplished nothing...all because I didn't stay focused on my primary objective. I learned one of my most important life lessons on that trip: Just because a person is not getting anything done, it doesn't necessarily mean that person is lazy. If he works hard without working smart, the results may be the same as if he hadn't worked at all.
If I'm going to make a success of my life, I must stay focused on what I know without a doubt is the right way, and not allow myself to be swayed by either the violent storms or the gentle breezes. I'm reminded of a song that we used to sing when I was little called "I Shall Not Be Moved." I like the last line that says, "Just like a tree that's planted by the water, I shall not be moved." The hound that chases every rabbit that crosses his path will catch neither the rabbit nor the deer.
Preston
Without going into too much boring detail, let me just tell you that I went there without a well thought out plan of action, and I allowed myself to become too easily distracted from my real focus. So I fell on my face. Have you ever known someone who has big plans and big ideas until they feel a breeze blowing from another direction, and then they just discard all their previous plans and turn in the direction of the wind? That's what I was allowing to happen to me, until I realized the error of my ways and made up my mind that from now on, I'm following the way I know is right regardless of which way the wind starts blowing. I've decided that if I'm the hound chasing a deer, I'm gonna stay on that deer's trail regardless of how many rabbits run across my path. I WILL STAY FOCUSED!
I wish I had kept track of how many times I've had people come to me and say, "I've got some big plans and I want you to be a part of those plans." But if I turn aside and start chasing that rabbit, there will be another rabbit that will run across my path and distract me from that goal; and before I know it, the deer that I was chasing has gotten away for good. And it has nothing to do with how hard I work. On that trip to Vegas, I worked hard every day I was there, and at night I was exhausted from my days' labors, but I had accomplished nothing...all because I didn't stay focused on my primary objective. I learned one of my most important life lessons on that trip: Just because a person is not getting anything done, it doesn't necessarily mean that person is lazy. If he works hard without working smart, the results may be the same as if he hadn't worked at all.
If I'm going to make a success of my life, I must stay focused on what I know without a doubt is the right way, and not allow myself to be swayed by either the violent storms or the gentle breezes. I'm reminded of a song that we used to sing when I was little called "I Shall Not Be Moved." I like the last line that says, "Just like a tree that's planted by the water, I shall not be moved." The hound that chases every rabbit that crosses his path will catch neither the rabbit nor the deer.
Preston
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