Patience

- Do not be desirous of having things done quickly.
- Do not look at small advantages.
- Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly.
- Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished.


Confucius
(551 B.C. - 479 B.C.)

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I am re-publishing this quotation because I think it speaks to how we should approach the coming year.

We all know that our country is in a "crisis of confidence" (to quote Jimmy Carter in 1976): consumer optimism is the lowest it's been in 50 years (source: MarketWatch) and there appears to be another big hit to take place in the real estate market place. (See my blog post from 12/16)

It will be very easy for us to "hunker down" and focus on "tiny victories" on a "day-to-day" basis. But I'd like to offer a different opinion. I remember a time in my career that I focused completely on "doing whatever it takes" to be financially successful; making phone calls, searching for new products/services, preparing competitive reports, prospecting for new vendors.

In fact, I remember hearing and living by the adage, "it's all a numbers game". According to popular goal achieving gurus, you can reward yourself each day after achieving your daily goal of cold calls, presentations or visits.

Well, I'm not so sure that works. 2500 years ago Confucius understood this. By focusing so closely on the day-to-day stuff, we lose our vigilance for the big picture; we prevent oursevles from doing our job thoroughly. We need to work together to get out of the collective situation in which we find ourselves. And it will take a LOT of work and lots of patience.

As we look toward 2009, in the light of our culture's prediliction for immediate results, I hope that you begin the year with a large picture and vision for your life and the lives of those for whom you care.

Have a safe and peaceful New Year!

Jim