{"id":558,"date":"2015-02-25T04:31:58","date_gmt":"2015-02-25T04:31:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/?p=558"},"modified":"2015-02-25T18:24:09","modified_gmt":"2015-02-25T18:24:09","slug":"deliver-results-in-every-circumstance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.therealgeobooth.com\/?p=558","title":{"rendered":"Deliver Results in Every Circumstance"},"content":{"rendered":"

“You can’t build a reputation on what you’re going to do.”<\/em>
\n– Henry Ford\u00a0(1863 – 1947)<\/em><\/p>\n

Your reputation is critically important. You earn it — a task at a time, a job at a time, a decision at a time — \u00a0over a period of years. \u00a0The tough part is your reputation is largely if not exclusively what others think of you. \u00a0If you earn a name for yourself by coming through, you’ll also earn the benefit of the doubt. Conversely, if you’re the guy who: a) shows up late, b) shows up unprepared, c) doesn’t show up at all, or d) doesn’tcontribute when he does, your circumstances and opportunities will\u00a0get poorer with you. \u00a0A man owes it to himself to deliver results in every circumstance.<\/p>\n
\"Roulette<\/a>

If you work for it, you don’t have to depend on luck.<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Wax on. Wax off<\/strong>
\nIn the movie The Karate Kid<\/em> (the 1984 original, thanks), the young protagonist, Daniel, becomes the prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of Mr. Miyagi — the maintenance superintendent of the apartment complex where Daniel lives. \u00a0To help Daniel stand up to the bullies from a nearby karate dojo, Mr. Miyagi agrees to teach Daniel karate. \u00a0He asks nothing in return, but insists that Daniel follow\u00a0his instructions absolutely.<\/div>\n
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Daniel reports to Mr. Miyagi’s house as ordered and is disappointed to be assigned task after task apparently unrelated to karate. \u00a0Among these indignities, Daniel is required to wax Mr. Miyagi’s classic car and to paint a fence. \u00a0As if this weren’t bad enough, Mr. Miyagi micromanages the methods Daniel uses to accomplish each task.<\/div>\n
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Where did that come from?
\n<\/strong>Just when Daniel thinks he’s being taken advantage of, Mr. Miyagi throws a series of blows at Daniel — and to Daniel’s astonishment, he’s able to block or deflect each one with ease. \u00a0Unbeknown to Daniel, Mr. Miyagi had been surreptitiously teaching Daniel the techniques and the proper form — the very skills Daniel would need to overcome his enemies.<\/div>\n
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Notice that this level of expertise only came through Daniel’s willingness to persevere in following Miyagi’s instructions to the letter.<\/div>\n
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My charge to you<\/strong>
\nI’m aware that millennials — and millennial men in particular — are facing a disappointing job market. \u00a0Many of you are underemployed, working at jobs unrelated to your interest or expertise. \u00a0As a member of that cohort whose turn it is to run things, I want to tell you something important: Being new doesn’t relieve you of your duty to do your best.<\/p>\n

Seek help<\/strong>
\nDaniel had Mr. Miyagi as his sensei. \u00a0You need one, too. \u00a0I’ve written previously about the importance of mentors<\/a>, and I want to encourage you to seek one. \u00a0Now. \u00a0If you’re connected to a biblically sound church, why not talk to your pastor or one of the elders to see if there are men of character who’d be willing to be a mentor to you. \u00a0And to those of you reading this blog who are older men, let your pastor or elders know you’d be willing to serve as a mentor to a young man — and ask them to hold you accountable.<\/p>\n

Get instruction<\/strong>
\nIn a\u00a0previous post titled Wynton’s Ways to Practice<\/a>,<\/em> I quoted the jazz great’s principles for practicing effectively. \u00a0One of the first rules is to seek the best instruction you can afford. \u00a0It doesn’t matter if your philosophy degree only landed you a job bagging groceries. \u00a0You’re not going to be there forever!<\/span><\/em> \u00a0If you realize this, you know that you need to be improving yourself so you can continue to grow intellectually, emotionally, artistically and spiritually. \u00a0This will prepare you for what comes next. \u00a0There are classic works of literature available, as well as open-source college and graduate courses online for free<\/a>. \u00a0There is no excuse not to seek \u00a0them out. \u00a0If you do this now, \u00a0as you prevail in some future challenge, you’ll realize the value of all that seemingly irrelevant preparation. \u00a0Thanks, Mr. Miyagi!<\/p>\n

What if you’ve blown it?<\/strong><\/div>\n
OK, let’s say your reputation is lousy. \u00a0How do you find your way back? \u00a0Here are some tips:<\/div>\n