"If I Only Knew" - Getting The Info. You Need To Accomplish Your Goals

"If I only knew."
Getting the info you need to accomplish your goals?

I recall being told back in my college days, “anything that you want to know is available to you in the library or though the internet.” Very wise words and I now pass them along to you. It’s no secret that we have more access to information then any other generation. With our iPhones and Free Wi-Fi cafés information is literally at our fingertips. Even with that being said, we sometimes make decisions based on old paradigms and partial information. This may cause us to miss out on opportunities that are readily available to us. We may be left with the feeling of, “if only I knew.” Here are a couple of examples of the “if only I knew”, so hopefully you will strive to know.


Example #1: You must have tickets to the inauguration to attend. Several people I ran into missed out on the opportunity to be part of the historical Presidential inauguration in Washington , D.C. because they were under the false assumption you needed tickets in order to go. In one case I spoke with someone the day before I left for D.C. and mentioned that I would be leaving in the morning. Their response was, “Oh, how did you get tickets?” I let them know I did not have tickets and they were surprised to know that you could still go even if you didn’t have a ticket. This person already had a place to stay, available transportation, but he also had bad or missing pieces of information which left him in a position of, “if only I knew.”


Example#2: The cardboard people. I made it down to D.C. the night before the inauguration at about 10:30p.m. We were staying with a friend in D.C. who lived a couple of train stops aware from the National Mall. One of my friends really wanted to have a prime location for the historic event and was willing to stay out in the freezing weather beginning at Midnight if it meant he could see, without the aid of any magnifying devices, the president elect get sworn in. Our contacts in D.C. could not tell us if we got their early enough if we would accomplish that goal; so what did we do? We went on a recon mission that very night to see for ourselves and talk with the security folks to get the lowdown on what was really going on. With train map in hand we headed towards the National Mall at 11p.m. When we got to the mall we noticed that there were a number of people huddled together on the floor using cardboard boxes to help break the frigid winds as they slept there in hopes of getting the best position possible for the swearing in of our president. Taking this trip allowed us to do several important things: 1. We knew exactly where we needed to go in the morning (the best train stop to get off, where to position ourselves on the train so we would be near an exit and alternate routes if necessary). 2. We spoke with security and found out for sure that we would not be able to see the swearing in with our bare eyes no matter how early we were there. The non-ticketed section was just too far away. The best thing for us to do was strategically position ourselves so we could have seating, uh-um, I mean standing room in clear sight of one of the large viewing screens. Why didn’t the cardboard box people ask the same questions?


Example#3: Get in the Fast Lane. Whether you live in NY or New England you have a program on the highways for paying tolls that is know as EZPass or Fast Lane. This allows you to go through the tolls without waiting on the long lines of cars as people pay with cash and wait for their change. There are designated lanes at the toll booths that are just for the EZPass and Fast Lane customers. In my frequent travels between NY and Boston it never fails that there are traffic jams at the major toll booth areas. Most of that traffic is from folks who do not have EZPass or Fast Lane. Every time I find myself sitting in traffic at a toll booth because the cars without the EZpass or Fast Lane passes are in all the lanes and trying to crossover to the correct lanes at the last minute, I can’t help but wonder, Why don’t more people get in the Fast Lane[program]? Is there fear? Do they not know how to get started? Do they know they would save time and money by being part of the program (the tolls are actually $0.25 to $0.50 cheaper for using the program at some tollbooths in MA)?


As we continue to move forward in 2009 I challenge you to find the information and ask the questions you need to be successful. Do not be a “If I only knew” person.


Here are 4 tips that can help you find what you are looking for:

1. Acknowledge that you don’t know all the answers but they are available to you.

2. Search for experts and those who have actually done what you are looking to do and reach out to them.

3. Leverage the power of the internet to search for things. Don’t stop after one site.

4. Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right then it probably isn’t. If you feel there has to be a better way, then start to look for new ways of doing a familiar thing. Don’t settle for what just anyone tells you.

Your Ambassador,Mike BrunyQuarter Life AnswersProfessional Coach, Speaker, Authorwww.runthepoint.com
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LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/in/mikebrunyAuthor of: "Move the Crowd: 30 Days of Hip Hop Affirmations To Change Your Life." www.runthepoint.com/products or www.authorhouse.comCheck out how the lyrics of Hip Hop Artist can help you with such topics as: Winning, Time Management, Vision, Faith, Support, Decision Making and Living a more fulfilling life. Email me at Bruny@runthepoint.com for a free 3 Day Sampler.© 2009 Run The Point Enterprises All rights reserved.