Our Own Hurdle- Phree to make it over (not under) to number one (not number two)

There’s a commercial out for new Samsung Galaxy S II cell phone that I really like. The ad is based upon the idea that no one wants to be “almost.” No one strives to be second, goes for the silver, or wants to be “Uh what’s his name? You know the one.”
I absolutely love that commercial. In part because it’s humorous. In part because it’s true in terms of desire, but it’s not so true in reality. Somehow some of us end up being “almost”, walking  away with the silver and saying “It’s better than the bronze.”
So how do people become number two instead of number one?  How does “Go for the gold” become “Settle for the silver?”
Well, I’ll give you a hint.
It’s not the economy. If you take a hard look at the numbers there are businesses thriving in this economy. And whether we like it or not, even if the economy was booming, there would still be businesses going under.
It’s not your product. In the 1980’s they sold pet rocks. If you can make money off of selling pet rocks, I’m sure you can make money selling whatever product or service you are trying to sell.
It’s you.
I know. I know. Usually I try to give you "make you feel good" posts or "make you ponder" posts. And me saying that maybe you are why you’re consistently being the runner up doesn’t make you feel good and may not make you want to ponder,  but I think you should ponder.
Just trust me on this one.
You’ve heard the cliché “You’re your worse critic.” I’m also sure you’ve heard “My best friends are me, myself, and I.”  But what we don’t hear as often is “I’m my own hurdle.” However, sometimes we are our own hurdle. Sometimes we are our biggest obstacle to whatever we are hoping to achieve. Sometimes we impede our own progress. We leave ourselves to sit in the cage with the door completely open for us to phreely fly out.
Sounds kind of ridiculous right? Like the cell phone commercial says "no one wants to be almost…” But it happens, and this is why I think some find themselves being “Uh what’s his name? You know the guy.”
Past mistakes- None of us are perfect. None of us get it right every time.  So, that means, we sometimes get things wrong. Totally cool. But, when we let those mistakes become hindrances to our ability to move forward, totally uncool. Mistakes should serve as learning opportunities. Nothing more, nothing less.  I’ve made my fair share. Between poor choices in printers, printing every design in the same color (I learned black doesn’t look good on everything), charging too much (lots of leftover stock) or too little (not even making enough for cost of production)for a product. And, my mistakes have cost me. They’ve cost time, energy, and definitely money. But Phreedum hasn’t closed shop. 
Unrealistic expectations- It’s good to have expectations, an intended goal, a target.  I am pro vision, pro mission, mixed feelings about how a business plan should look but am pro plan. I’m also pro reality. I think we can undermine our success by having unrealistic expectations. Sometimes the most unrealistic expectation is understanding the role of time as it relates to our goals. When we underestimate the value and role of time we can indeed be setting ourselves up to fail. If you look at any professional you admire, they will tell you it was a process. Kobe Bryant did not come out of the womb hitting the numbers he currently (well if there wasn't the lockout)hits. It took practice and time. Martin Scorsese didn’t make an amazing film in a day. It took days upon days and years upon years for him to create the films he creates and garner the respect and praise he receives as a filmmaker.  Beyonce talks a lot about singing from the time she was in elementary school, giving up “normal” adolescent activities to price and hone her skills as an entertainer. Anyone who has achieved “greatness” has realized that they have to have realistic expectations. If not they leave themselves prey to discouragement. Discouragement kills creativity, motivation, and productivity. Review your goals, your personal and professional vision/mission, assess for unrealistic expectations and adjust accordingly.

And, I have a realistic expectation of my own. Don’t give too much information at one time. If you do, people, including myself, don’t get all of the information and tend to forget the information. So, while I have a few more reasons as to why you might find yourself walking away with honorable mention, but, you’ll have to make sure you check back next Tuesday.  Don’t think about checking back.  And definitely don’t “almost” check back.

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