Do you ever ask yourself whether something you’re doing is worth all the time and trouble involved? That’s what I found myself doing on a recent flight from L.A. to New York for the purpose of attending some Monday morning meetings. First, there was the business of having to leave my San Diego home on a warm and pleasant Sunday afternoon that I would much rather have spent with my family, and having to drive to LAX because the flights from San Diego where overbooked. Then a couple hours into the flight, with my butt starting to become sore, I began asking myself, was this trip really necessary? Why did I have to drive three hours to make a six-hour flight, going from a balmy 75 degrees to a frigid 11 above zero, when it would have been much simpler to have phoned into the meeting?
Well, maybe someone was listening to my private reservations, because no sooner had I gotten up Monday morning when the following quote appeared unbidden in my box:
“There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them.” — Denis Waitley
Coming to my attention at the precise moment it did, this sentiment not only made me laugh, but resonated within the very depths of my being – and, more important, served to shore up my sense of enthusiasm at a crucial moment. Because there is no way I can accept things the way they are. The meetings I had come to attend, in fact, were all about taking responsibility for changing them. Their primary focus was on how we can create a much bigger role for health and wellness in the retail marketplace. Specifically, they involved giving what I like to call “orphaned” products – those organic, therapeutic, and generally wholesome, items that can be hard to find – more accessible and affordable, as well as on educating everyday consumers about their availability and benefits.
Yet another meeting I had scheduled in New York was in regard to ways we can bring healthier foods to school lunchrooms. Once those sessions were completed, I had additional meetings on tap in Chicago to talk about messaging these developments with one of the best admen in the world and to discuss a Fortune 100 company’s plans to install healthier and safer lighting for its employees. All of which would be much better conducted in person than via a teleconference.
So thanks, Denis Waitley, for providing me with that unexpected ‘call to action’. Not only do you deserve your reputation as a motivational speaker and writer, but having been in the motivational consulting field myself, I’d say you’re truly a “motivator’s motivator.”
