Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Be So Good they can’t ignore you


Here’s comedian Steve Martin’s advise to young comics: “ Be so good they can’t ignore you” Love it. Life favors the devoted. The more you give to life, the more life sends back. It’s just not possible for you to be great at what you do, and not win in the end. (Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead once said, “ you do not merely want to be best of the best. You want to be considered the only ones who do what you do”)

Sometimes discouragement sets in. Happens to all of us. We try hard, stay true to our dreams and pursue our ideals. Yet nothing happens. Or so it seems. But every choice matters. And every step counts. Life runs according to its own agenda, not ours. Be patient. Trust. Be like the stonecutter, steadily chipping away, day after day. Eventually, a single blow will crack the stone and reveal the diamond. An enthusiastic, dedicated person who is ridiculously good at what they do just cannot be denied. Seriously.

Steve Martin’s insight speaks to me deeply. “Be so good they cannot ignore you.” (Management guru Peter Drucker made the point slightly differently when he observed: “ Get good or get out”). Apply that philosophy at work. Apply it at home. Apply it in your community. Apply it to your world. Having the courage to present your gifts and your highest capacities will yield magnificent rewards. Life is always fair in the end. Trust it.


(these are not my thoughts J and are copied from Robin’s book)

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