Summer is over and now we turn our focus back to work. More specifically, to the busiest season for our industry. No doubt it can (and will) be hectic. I recently came across a newsletter by Harvey Mackay. It captures life’s challenges in a very inspirational fashion, and I hope you learn as much from it as I have.
Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.
In our materialistic society, there will always be people (including many of our clients) who have a bigger house, nicer car, and so on. Get over it. The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.
Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important. Only you know what is best for you.
Anytime is a perfect time to set your goals for the year, for the decade, or for the rest of your life. After all, if you don’t know what you want to achieve, how will you know when you get there? Goals not only give you a reason to get up in the morning but they are the incentive to keep you going all day. Achieving goals produces significant accomplishments. Some examples to help you create your own set of goals: losing weight, getting healthier, saving more for retirement, working less, more time for yourself, securing a promotion, and improving your skills. Find what’s important for you and your family and run with it.
Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart. Cling to them as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless.
Focus on what is important to you and remember the people who mean the most to you too. I know many people who lose sleep over the overwhelming amounts of work that we are experiencing lately. Many even comment that all the money they are making means nothing as they have no free time to enjoy it. Try to have a balanced life. Yes, money is important, but so is your sanity. Read a book, watch TV, go for a walk, get involved with sports. The key is to find an activity that takes your mind away from work. It is very important to disconnect from our main job to maintain our health and the focus of our lives.
Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or for the future. By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.
The present is when you can change your life. Mother Teresa said it best, “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
Don’t give up when you still have something to give. Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.
I know how frustrating installing window treatments can be (or dealing with picky clients). But what sets us apart from the average installers is our determination to overcome challenges and tough situations. When you feel that you don’t have any extra juice, reach out to friends, colleagues, or Facebook groups. There are always pros willing to extend a helping hand to assist. Remember, the most important job you have is to believe in yourself and to never give up. Who says that you’re not tougher and better and smarter and harder working and more able than your competition? It doesn’t matter if they say you can’t do it. The only thing that matters is if you say it.
Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect. It is this fragile thread that binds us to each other.
No one is perfect. Everyone makes mistakes … even seasoned installers. The important lesson here is to admit your mistakes, learn from them, and move on. Humility opens opportunities for improvement and forgiveness. Be brave by being humble. Kindness is your best friend.
Don’t be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.
One of the reasons we admire people who take risks is that most of us are scared stiff at the prospect of taking risks ourselves. No risk, no success. Remember your first day in this industry and how overwhelmed you were back then? Your courage and determination pushed you to return the next day. Keep pushing it. Remember: if it was easy, everyone would do it.
Don’t dismiss your dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope; to be without hope is to be without purpose.
I often joke that it takes years to become an overnight success. But it starts with a dream. My dream was to own my own business. I wasn’t even sure what kind of industry I’d be in. It took years to come to fruition but I always had the dream very alive in my mind. Dreams do come true – with a lot of wide-awake work.
Don’t run through life so fast that you forget not only where you’ve been, but also where you’re going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored each step of the way.
Every day is a gift! That’s why it’s called the present!
Enjoy your journey!
It’s never too late to become what you could have been.