by Rich Lazzara on February 24, 2010
You’ve probably never heard of Robel Telkemariam. I know I hadn’t. However if you haven’t heard his story your missing out on not only a great story but a perfect example of overcoming obstacles. Robel is an Ethiopian competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics. As a cross country skier he qualified as one of the 95 Olympians that competed just recently. Needless to say Ethiopia and skiing don’t go together but he still made it. As entrepreneurs the lessons from his story should inspire us to overcome the obstacles we face.
What do you do when you face seemingly insurmountable obstacles?
1) You Invent - How does one train for cross country skiing in Ethiopia? By developing a custom set of roller blade type skis (seen here) that allowed him to train without snow.
2) You Lead - The number of Ethiopians that have made it to the Winter Olympics is zero! In order to over come major obstacles be prepared to be the first. Not just prepared but ready to embrace it.
3) You Create – There was no Winter Olympic committee even in Ethiopia so Robel had to spend nearly a year lobbying for one before he could even have a chance of representing his country in the games.
4) You Desire – The trail that has been blazed for future Ethiopians to enter the Winter Olympics has been created by Robel. The fuel that set the blaze on fire was his desire. When you couple desire with vision the results can change history.
We all face obstacles. Some are real while others are perceived. The next time you face one just think about the Ethiopian Winter Olympic skier, Robel Telkermariam and don’t quit.
by Rich Lazzara on February 23, 2010
Ask any sniper, combat pilot, or solider what’s most important to hitting their target and they will tell you a clear line of sight. It’s obvious when using a combat analogy that a clear line of sight is of utmost importance to hitting a target and reaching a goal, however what about targets or goals that you have? What are the things that are getting in the way of your target?
Maintaining a clear line of sight when it comes to reaching your goals is critical. For many the distractions of life seem to impair our vision. Things that “have” to be done, enemies like procrastination and blinders like distraction, all move in to block our sight on the ultimate target. You need to be proactive in navigating around and through those things that get in the way between you and your goals. Make it a point to keep a clear line of sight on your goals.
What’s Your Target?
Having said that, what needs to come first is a clear vision, a target, a goal. For many they get hung up on what the goal will accomplish and not the goal itself. For instance is that entrepreneurial idea you have the thing you focus most on or is it the lifestyle you hope it will afford you? The later blocks your clear line of sight.
Is it the idea of freedom from your current job that fills your head or the idea itself? The point is that it’s easy to allow things, even good things, to block our line of sight on the ultimate target.
Maintaining a clear line of sight is critical to your success. Whether it be on a project, goal or idea, don’t allow things to get between you and the target.
photo credit
by Rich Lazzara on February 18, 2010
I heard someone say this the other day in reference to giving money to a charity. His point was we need to do more. It got me thinking about doing more with dreams.
Essentially it paints a perfect picture of exactly what many people do. Each day they go through the motions of life and work, never giving it their all, just giving enough. It’s as if your dropping nickels worth of effort in all that you do. To compound the issue not only are you dropping little nickel amounts of effort, you’re dropping them into others dreams. Think about it, its a lose – lose situation.
What if we approached effort and dreams differently?
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by Rich Lazzara on February 17, 2010
So I’ve returned from a week at an industry trade show, the Miami Boat Show to be exact. Anyone who’s ever been involved in trade shows knows that while business is certainly the main agenda for most there are still underlying motives of others. It’s incredible to hear the buzz of negativity blossom each and every time. One prospect I talked to told me, “I was just down at your competition and the salesman said watch out for Lazzara Yachts they are having tough times.” to which that person said “So is that your sales presentation?”
Why do others feel the need to get involved in mud slinging against the competition?
It’s not just unique to my industry, it’s prevalent throughout the business (and blogging) world. However, the reaction from that incident was just a great reminder that you need to be focused on doing what you do and letting the work speak for itself. Letting your work speak for itself is a key characteristic that I see among great entrepreneurs and something we should all strive for. Sure pointing out that what you do or what you make does x to your competitions y is part of selling, but really does anyone think that mud slinging works these days?
Since you can’t sling mud without getting dirty don’t even bother.
photo credit
by Rich Lazzara on February 5, 2010
It’s not a matter of if you have an idea, but when, what will you do with it.
It’s not a matter of if you have the talent, but when, how will you use it.
It’s not a matter of if you have the determination, but when, will you act on it.
It’s not a matter of if you have an opportunity, but when, can you recognize it.
The problem with many is that we get hung up on the if and miss the when.
