Waiting For Success
Earlier today I spent a long time sitting in the waiting room at the Doctor's office. A lot of things can go through your mind while you're sitting in a waiting room. I try not to just sit there. It can be a real waste of time. I was trying to accomplish something. I was considering things.
So, I was sitting in the waiting room reading Men's Health and thinking about Abraham Lincoln. And about how many times I could remember his name being brought up in sales pitches I've heard from multi-level marketing people. How he had to support his family after they were forced out of their home; failed in business; how he wanted to go to law school but couldn't get in, and failed at almost everything else he tried to do until finally becoming President in 1860.
The lady sitting next to me out of nowhere says, "Is my wallet in your car?" and I look up and see two people (a man and a woman) across from me looking at her and then at me. We looked at each other with a who is she talking to? expression and then all realized the lady next to me is on a cell phone. I didn't hear it ring or see her reach for it. She didn't say anything before that.
Many of the "facts" circulated about the failures of Abraham Lincoln aren't true. And many of the truths about Lincoln have been twisted into a sort of "anyone can make it" inspirational. Have you ever received the "Abraham Lincoln Didn't Quit" list by email? Even though much of that list and much of what is repeated about Lincoln is inaccurate his life is still a great example of what can be accomplished by perseverance. The point is that in spite of the focus on all of Lincoln's "failures before success" story, a list of the things that he actually accomplished is very impressive. Spend some time researching his life and you'll find he succeeded at a lot of things he tried and wasn't personally responsible for some of things in which he was involved that failed.
The lady next to me says, "He wasn't breathing this morning, they had to turn the machine up. No he wasn't breathing, they had to turn up the machine. He wasn't breathing." I looked at the other two people this time they just looked at each other. She's not talking at all before she says this. She's not answering the phone. She's calling someone and beginning the conversion.
Regardless of what you think about Lincoln's performance while he was President, it was his "don't give up" attitude; his ability to learn from his mistakes; stick to it drive that got him there.
The lady say's, "You have to help me get to Kentucky after my Doctors appointment." I didn't look up this time. The nurse came out about the same time and announced a name, the woman across from me got up and followed the nurse. The man across from me (the husband of the woman called) was out the front door of the Doctor's office before his wife was out of sight. He didn't come back while I was there.
All those years of tough times, failure and success. Lessons learned and not forgotten. During all those years leading up to becoming President of the United States Abraham Lincoln was practicing. Practicing and preparing for the success that comes from staying with it and not giving up.
Remember it was Lincoln's Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg that became the most quoted speech in history. Edward Everette the great orator who was actually the keynote speaker at the dedication and spoke for two hours said of Lincoln's two minute speech, "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."
People who are consistently successful did not become successful by sitting around waiting on their success. They were practicing it all through those times when it looked like they were going nowhere.
"Oh, Lord my feet hurt." No, not mine, the lady next to me just made another call.
So, I was sitting in the waiting room reading Men's Health and thinking about Abraham Lincoln. And about how many times I could remember his name being brought up in sales pitches I've heard from multi-level marketing people. How he had to support his family after they were forced out of their home; failed in business; how he wanted to go to law school but couldn't get in, and failed at almost everything else he tried to do until finally becoming President in 1860.
The lady sitting next to me out of nowhere says, "Is my wallet in your car?" and I look up and see two people (a man and a woman) across from me looking at her and then at me. We looked at each other with a who is she talking to? expression and then all realized the lady next to me is on a cell phone. I didn't hear it ring or see her reach for it. She didn't say anything before that.
Many of the "facts" circulated about the failures of Abraham Lincoln aren't true. And many of the truths about Lincoln have been twisted into a sort of "anyone can make it" inspirational. Have you ever received the "Abraham Lincoln Didn't Quit" list by email? Even though much of that list and much of what is repeated about Lincoln is inaccurate his life is still a great example of what can be accomplished by perseverance. The point is that in spite of the focus on all of Lincoln's "failures before success" story, a list of the things that he actually accomplished is very impressive. Spend some time researching his life and you'll find he succeeded at a lot of things he tried and wasn't personally responsible for some of things in which he was involved that failed.
The lady next to me says, "He wasn't breathing this morning, they had to turn the machine up. No he wasn't breathing, they had to turn up the machine. He wasn't breathing." I looked at the other two people this time they just looked at each other. She's not talking at all before she says this. She's not answering the phone. She's calling someone and beginning the conversion.
Regardless of what you think about Lincoln's performance while he was President, it was his "don't give up" attitude; his ability to learn from his mistakes; stick to it drive that got him there.
The lady say's, "You have to help me get to Kentucky after my Doctors appointment." I didn't look up this time. The nurse came out about the same time and announced a name, the woman across from me got up and followed the nurse. The man across from me (the husband of the woman called) was out the front door of the Doctor's office before his wife was out of sight. He didn't come back while I was there.
All those years of tough times, failure and success. Lessons learned and not forgotten. During all those years leading up to becoming President of the United States Abraham Lincoln was practicing. Practicing and preparing for the success that comes from staying with it and not giving up.
Remember it was Lincoln's Gettysburg Address at the dedication of the National Cemetery at Gettysburg that became the most quoted speech in history. Edward Everette the great orator who was actually the keynote speaker at the dedication and spoke for two hours said of Lincoln's two minute speech, "I should be glad if I could flatter myself that I came as near to the central idea of the occasion, in two hours, as you did in two minutes."
People who are consistently successful did not become successful by sitting around waiting on their success. They were practicing it all through those times when it looked like they were going nowhere.
"Oh, Lord my feet hurt." No, not mine, the lady next to me just made another call.
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