Going Nowhere?

My wife, Sarah, our son, Bryan and I welcomed a new baby into our family in January. Charles William (Charlie) is now three months old and sleeping through the night! The rocking chair in our house is getting some use again, and it reminds me of one of my favorite analogies. Rocking chairs are great for babies because you can just sit and rock as long as you want, right there in the nursery. But, you certainly don’t want to spend your career, or your life in rocking chair mode…moving, but going nowhere. What action can you take today that will move you forward? Even if you only move an inch, that’s better than standing still. Can you spend less money? Can you save more? Can you tell someone you care about how much they mean to you? Can you read something that will broaden your mind? Can you do something for someone else? I learned years ago two things which keep people from taking action – fear of failure and fear of people. Failure isn’t the end of the world. In fact, many great leaders have failed, and said those who haven’t, simply haven’t tried anything new. You might do something wrong, you might have to start over, but action creates progress. Either you gain momentum from your actions or you learn from them what to do and what not to do. If you want to start a new business, go back to school or make a relationship stronger, make a plan and start now. You might think it will take years to make any progress, and it might. But if you don’t get started then in 3-5 years you will still be where you are now instead of being where you want to be. You’ll be looking back wishing you would have done something different. As for the fear of people – or more pointedly fear of what people think. Eleanor Roosevelt said it best. “You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” Today is the only day that you have, yesterday is gone, tomorrow isn’t here yet! We would love to hear from you. Email us at info@chadcarden.com and tell us: What is one thing (professionally or personally) you would like to improve about yourself? Would you rather learn something new in a face-to-face setting or via video in the comfort of your home or office? When should we start Charlie on solid food?... Just checking! See our CREDENTIALS!