Who’s Your Guru?

There’s a sucker born every minute! P.T. Barnum (1810-1891), founder Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

Crafty Consultants

So who do you line up behind? Whose advice do you respect? Before making a major move, who do you consult? Are you quick to follow the lead of just anybody or do you research, listen, think and then respond? Have you received great leadership before that helped you obtain a great result and also some terrible guidance that was based on deceit just to take from you?

These are serious questions that we seem to blow off on a regular basis, or maybe we just forget to ask. In life, it seems that we forget so quickly even day to day. We ignore our history books that scream of obvious clues. We turn a blind eye to the good and bad of the past and only seem to hear what we want to; only the advice that aligns with our desires.

Smashing Bricks

Even when we smash into a brick wall we’re determined to keep on ramming away instead of just walking around it or even working hard to scale it or dig under it. Seems crazy, but we just don’t get it. When we hear somebody tell us there’s a better way we castigate them if it seems too hard to follow, but in walks the snake-oil salesman and off we go. We can’t wait to sign up to “get rich” or “get skinny” fast. We won’t even ask around to see if anybody has proven anything at all…as long as it’s easy, we’re in!

P.T. Barnum had this down cold. He knew that you had to give the people what they wanted even if it wasn’t in their best interest…why swim up stream? Even Henry Ford took a while to get it; still selling one car, one color until his competition woke him up to the reality of human consumption. Who cares how that car ran or even if it was reliable, as long as it looked good and everybody saw you driving it!

Soothsayers

This all might seem like a harmless rant about human psychology, but it’s more of a slap-in-the-face wake up call. We’re being hoodwinked everyday; and it’s for no other reason than we’re kidding ourselves. We’re in such a hurry to shun hard work and demand an entitled position that we’ve become a bunch of suckers for anybody that can make it all go away.

You see the real tragedy here is that there are actually some real effective teachers right at your finger tips everyday. People that have actually rolled up their sleeves and worked hard…no, really hard. The people that don’t see 40 hours as anything but a warm up. The ones who still spend year after year working their tails off at something they like, not worrying about what everybody else thinks. They’re the ones who still put away at least 10% of their earnings and spend their free time with their families.

Give Me The Lion’s Den

Old fashioned you say? Great, tell me a better way and I’m in! Show me where I can go and pop a magic pill that makes me feel the way I do after a tenacious days work. A day where I jump into the lion’s den knowing it’s not going to be easy. Some days, I barely escape with my sanity, but I do, because I know tomorrow I must also win the day! Where did I learn this all from? Good, solid mentors…

Real people that have nothing to sell but a great example. Those people that have walked the walk. People with a resume filled with actual achievement; not the pretenders and con-men. Real doers are the ones we have to stop ducking and seek out. Pull the firm alarm and rush out and look for them today. They’re there in all walks of life; but you must be prepared to ask questions; be skeptical; kick the tires; demand proof! Look for long resumes with well documented success. Otherwise you’re playing yourself the fool and there are plenty of soothsayers waiting to sell you the dream in a box!

Tags: Inspiration, Motivation, P.T. Barnum, Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus, Self Improvement