While economists argue over whether or not Quantitative Easing will bring the nation out of its economic doldrums, whether or not the housing market has reached a bottom, whether inflation will rear its head this year or if the unemployment rate will drop; those factors, while important, do not, of themselves, bring either failure or success to any of us. The national economy is much less important than what we, as individuals, do to “create” our own success.
The economy may improve in 2011, but MY economy will only improve if I _______. And understanding what fills in that blank is different for each of us. Regardless of what that one thing or multiple things may be, we are responsible for our success. We can complain that the market is too competitive, that the tightening of credit has taken away buyers, that banks won’t make loans for construction or offer a dozen other excuses; but that’s all they are—excuses.
I recall a conversation I once had with an employee who was giving me all the reasons a job couldn’t be completed on time—the weather was bad, subcontractors were unreliable, material was late—and I reminded him that I could have picked up a laborer for a few dollars an hour to tell me why the job couldn’t be completed. However, I had hired him because I believed he had the ability to make things happen. And following our talk, he did just that, finishing the job with quality and ahead of schedule.
In order to create our success in this economy, we may have to work harder or longer and to develop creative solutions to problems we encounter. Success rarely comes in taking one giant leap, but often through small, focused and persistent steps forward, with a relentless pursuit of our goal. Yes, the economy may improve in 2011, but MY economy will only improve if I take the steps to insure that it does.
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