Breakfast of champions?

“Let the world feel the weight of who you are and let it be their problem.”
-Brent Curtis

The business call had become a negotiation.  My customer wanted a lower price, but I was certain of the value I was providing so I stuck to it. Finally, my customer broke the tension exclaiming,” Booth, you want to eat like a sparrow and (defecate) like an elephant!”  We both laughed about that for years afterward.  Although he ultimately agreed to my price, he was saying he didn’t think I had earned the right to command it.  Ultimately, he recognized that though I was younger than he was, I had done my homework and established a record of coming through for him and his company — in other words, I delivered value.

Effort does not equal results
I once worked with a manager who was fond of saying one shouldn’t confuse activity with results.  While it is important to work hard, it’s more important to work hard on the right things.  And results are the product of consistently doing the right things the right way.

Idealism can fuel impact, but only as the result of action
Millennials are renowned for their idealism.  But as my customer was saying to me so many years ago, you can’t dabble at business or life and have a serious impact on the world.  There is no worthwhile endeavor I’m aware of that will not require commitment and — dare I say it? — hard work.  But think about it: to compete effectively, athletes have to sweat.  To perform at their best, musicians have to spend hours practicing and rehearsing (and there is a difference).  To prevail in battle, soldiers have to train, fight and bleed.

Where is your battleground?
So how can you channel your idealism into a body of work — a lasting impact that will affect others? Here are six points I’ll develop over the next several weeks:

• Decide to live a life of consequence
• Discover your purpose
• Develop a hunger and thirst for Wisdom
• Devote yourself to the process of becoming the man you were created to be
• Deliver results in every circumstance
• Determine to pass it on.

You might leave your mark in business, philanthropy, sports, the church or the arts. That’s for you and God to work out together. No matter which domain you commit to, the real impact of your life  — your legacy — will be within those significant relationships you develop in your chosen field.

Why am I talking to you about a legacy when you’re just getting started?  Simple. Now is the time to consider your course and where it leads.

Go with the flow?
If you’ve ever been rafting or canoeing in a river, you know that the current will move you downstream without your help. That does not mean one shouldn’t attempt to navigate the river. Your life is happening and your years will accumulate to their allotted sum whether you engage or not. This is why I urge you to consider and implement these words of mine.

So how about you?  In what ways are you plotting the course of your life?  What tools have you found helpful?  Add your comments below.