Waiting for Lightning to Strike
Author and management guru, Peter Drucker says, "People adjust
to the level of demands made on them." I would add, we also
adjust to the level we demand of ourselves. At some point we
grow up and pass for adults by how we look. To match that look
with action requires both discipline and determination.
I'll give you an example from my life. My son was born when I
was twenty-six. I made the decision to stay home with him the
first two years. But, I knew I needed brain stimulation and
interaction with an adult world, so I decided to pursue my
interest in writing. I wrote my first article, sent it to a
magazine and waited. Every day I anxiously checked the mail to
discover if today would launch my writing career. When the
manuscript was finally returned with a regrets note, my
aspirations of being a writer ended. I figured an editor knew
better than I did what I could do. I'd been waiting for my
career lightning to strike.
Twenty something years later, I know success has little to do
with lightning strikes. So, when I left the corporate world to
live and work from the mountains of Montana, I took with me that
same dream of being a writer. For six months I studied writers
and writing, read books, attended seminars and learned the
business of writing.
I wanted to be a columnist so I developed a strategy to become
one by volunteering to write a life reflections column for a
regional magazine. When they agreed, my writing career was
launched while I learned the discipline of column writing and
fine-tuned my new craft. Today that column, "In the Scheme of
Things," is self-syndicated in several states and Canada, and a
second column, "Winning at Working," (the one you're reading)
was launched a year later. It now reaches hundreds of thousands
of web-based readers and is the foundation for my first book.
So what's the difference in today's writing success? Luck? Yes,
but it's self-created luck. Better writing? Sure, I'm a better
writer today than I was in my twenties. But, that's not it. It's
discipline and determination. There are days when I'm not in the
mood to write, but writers write, and I write. There are days
when marketing my column to another publication or getting one
more rejection seems overwhelming. Those days I take a deep
breath before giving myself a kick and moving on.
People who are winning at working have discipline and
determination. They demand more of themselves. They push
themselves to do the project when they're not in the mood, make
the phone call, brush off the rejection, or learn the skill
they're missing. They know there are few career lightning
strikes in the world they live in.
(c) 2005 Nan S. Russell. All rights reserved.
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www.winningatworking.com. Nan Russell has spent over twenty
years in management, most recently with QVC as a Vice President.
She has held leadership positions in Human Resource Development,
Communication, Marketing and line Management. Nan has a B.A.
from Stanford University and M.A. from the University of
Michigan. Currently working on her first book, Winning at
Working: 10 Lessons Shared, Nan is a writer, columnist, small
business owner, and on-line instructor. Visit www.nanrussell.com
or contact Nan at info@nanrussell.com.