What gets you going? Back in July I received a very special wedding anniversary gift. It was a beautiful Tiffany pen. My wife knows that I have an appreciation for nice pens so she decided to get me a sterling silver pen. A beautiful thought, but it came with a little bit of a twist.
I have been working on my 1st book and my goal was to have it done and ready to ship by Aug. 18. I was on pace to complete my goal and my wife added an additional incentive. It is an accomplishment in itself to write a book, but my wife challenged me to set up a book signing. You guessed it, my beautiful pen came with a stipulation that it could not be used until my 1st book signing.
I was racking my brain to find out where I could set up a book signing when it hit me as I was driving. With the opportunity to use my new pen, I quickly picked up the phone and reached out to my Alma mater, Hartwick College, to see if I could set up a book signing on Alumni weekend. They said, "yes," and on Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 11am I will use my beautiful sterling silver Tiffany pen for the first time.
Two Lessons:
- Sometimes you need external motivation to help you reach your goals. Find or create your own.
- It never hurts to ask. When you have an idea, don't hesitate to place the phone call that could help you realize your dream. I learned this from my mentor Andre Taylor, "Make the phone call before your nerves and all the reasons why you should not call kicks in."
