Few enjoy hearing hard truth. The mature recognize its value.
It’s galling to be identified merely because of one’s age. I often hear from 30-somethings the mantra, “I’m not like that! Don’t lump me in with them!”
I get it. It’s a mistake to presuppose who and what a person is based on the habits and actions of the majority of their generation.
I commend each individual who chooses to step away from those others at every opportunity and define oneself. People in herds tend to be lazy, gullible thinkers. After all, it’s easier to parrot what someone else with a big mouth and an opinion says than to stop and think things through for oneself. They are prime targets for older, agenda-driven manipulators who know the effect of repeated indoctrination.
I give you the current crop of American college and university-age students as a whimpering, breathtaking experiment in lazy, hazy thinking. Recent and ongoing newscasts repeat with annoying sameness the thousands of tenderized souls huddled in weeping circles, seeking solace in puppies, ice cream and safe areas because something or other didn’t follow their presupposed script about How Things Are Supposed To Be.
They are stunned that Life couldn’t care less about their likes or preferences. Among their number are a handful of thoughtful young individuals who shun the foolishness of’ something-for-nothing. Sadly, they are the notable exceptions.
They are also the hope on our horizon, and those for whom the following was written by Gary Ryan Blair. It’s going to hit hard. Only the hardy will receive it. The rest will shrink away in revulsion, dissolving into fresh tears and wondering if all the puppies are taken.
Let them. I don’t say it unkindly. They’re mentally and socially saturated with years of socialist thought. Until they choose to awaken, nothing can be done.
For the tough-minded, fed-up soul, then, who believes in tomorrow, I’m offering this straight talk. It’s for self-assured men, women and individuals unafraid of big challenges. And it comes from one of a handful of forward-thinking create-a-different-box people whose thinking lights my ‘burners.
I AM YOUR COMPETITION
Hesitate in any way and I will outhustle you. * Show up unprepared and I will clean your clock. * Move slow and I will run circles around you. * Underestimate me and I will teach you a lesson. * Don’t follow up and I will gladly steal your customers. * Underperform and I will make you look foolish. * Make a mistake and I will use it to my advantage. * Don’t give it your all and I will make you pay for it. * Miss a deadline and I will capitalize on your carelessness. * Lose focus and I will eat you for lunch. * Refuse to go the extra mile and I will show you up. * Lie, cheat or steal and I will expose your Achilles heel. * Resist change and I will eliminate you from the game. * Don’t do things right the first time and I will outclass you. * If you have a weakness or vulnerability I will find it. * Each day I am determined to beat you and win. * Stay paranoid, my furry friend, as I am out to get you. * Who am I? * I am your competition. ~ Gary Ryan Blair – separately copyrighted
You might want to take this with a full glass of humility. Over the past 8 years, you might’ve gotten a little lax. Cut a few corners. Dialed down a little of your personal, professional integrity. I get it. Look at The Top. If those in leadership are openly corrupted, hey, who’s gonna know–’cause you’ll still look better than 87% of anyone else out there. Right?
Wrong. You’ll know. You. Lock in on this. There’s nothing honorable about being at the bottom of the top. You don’t rate a trophy for being the cream of the crap.
Remember what this blog is all about: to lift, encourage, edify and challenge toward personal and spiritual excellence. If you sloughed off some, knock it off a lot. Your clients, customers, and your team deserve your best. That’s the only legitimate way you can expect their best.
No judgmentalism here. Encouragement! Get up off-a that thing, and work ’til you feel better! New leadership. New vision. Renewed ideals. And you need to be a part of it. You be being the excellence you want to see when you walk in the door.
Building something is rarely simple. It’s always worth it.
© D. Dean Boone, December 2016