My OperaTake Your Turn
Sunday, December 18, 2011 3:23:56 PM
Do you ever take your turn?
I do not mean ‘wait for your turn’ or ‘have your turn’ or ‘stand in line for your turn’…I mean ‘Take your turn”. I am talking about getting the bull by the horns even when nobody is offering and no one is making space for you to grab it.
Taking your turn is one of the most effective techniques to affect success in business. What it really means is seeing an opportunity and going for it even though it may be uncomfortable, embarrassing, or end up in terrible failure.
I went to a book marketing conference and heard a story of just such an experience:
The man’s name was Richard Paul Evans and one day he decided to write a story for his 2daughters - it was called “The Christmas Box”. His wife liked the story so much that he had 20 copies printed to distribute to his brothers and sisters and other family members as gifts for the Christmas season. He soon started receiving phone calls from unknown people telling him how much the book had moved them. He began to track how many people had read his original 20 copies. He counted 160 after which, he stopped counting. The feedback was so overwhelmingly amazing that he made an effort to have the book published - but no publisher was in the market for another Christmas book and they all passed on the chance. So he decided to publish the book himself. He filled his station wagon with books and went across the country from bookstore to bookstore selling his little 5 dollar book. Many times, he sat for hours at book signing events without actually signing a single book. He slept in his car day after day only plugging away to sell a few more books.
One day he decided to take a leap and buy a booth at a tradeshow held by the American Booksellers Association. The cost of the booth was $400. He needed to sell 80 books in order to break even. He was promised thousands of visitors, but he sat at his booth and nobody arrived. It was dead. His disappointment mounted until finally he stood up and went to find out where all the people were hiding. Much to his frustration, he discovered that they were all in the main hall, having their books signed by ‘famous authors’. He was fuming. There he observed a large table with authors assembled side by side greeting lines of hungry fans waiting for a signature on their book. He was a nobody and they were a somebody receiving the recognition which he so much wanted. And then he uncovered something that would forever change the direction of his life… he noticed an empty seat at the table. And it was in that moment that Richard Paul Evans took his turn. He went back to his booth, picked up a couple of boxes of his books, went back to the main hall and took the vacant seat at the table. A security guard approached him. He looked up and said, “Sorry I am late …” and she replied, “Would you like a glass of water?” That event changed his life forever. He is now a best selling author with more than 8 million books sold in both soft and hard copy world wide.
Think about how many times you've shied away from taking your turn and question what you have gained as a result. I bet the answer is nothing. Taking your turn requires blind faith, entering into the unknown with nervous excitement, and all that can come from a single decision, the decision of the right turn…taking your turn.
Taking your turn means coming to the table with chutzpah, gumption, and unarguable belief in your objectives. If you're serious about getting into where you want to be - then never think twice about taking your turn. Just grab it and run - and for goodness sakes…never look back!
Kim Ades, MBA, President of Frame of Mind Coaching and JournalEngine™ Software, is one of North America’s foremost experts on performance through thought management. By using her unique process of coaching through journaling, she works with clients to unveil and switch their thought patterns to ignite significant change and life transformation. Visit www.frameofmindcoaching.com to sign up for your own free, secure, online journal.
I do not mean ‘wait for your turn’ or ‘have your turn’ or ‘stand in line for your turn’…I mean ‘Take your turn”. I am talking about getting the bull by the horns even when nobody is offering and no one is making space for you to grab it.
Taking your turn is one of the most effective techniques to affect success in business. What it really means is seeing an opportunity and going for it even though it may be uncomfortable, embarrassing, or end up in terrible failure.
I went to a book marketing conference and heard a story of just such an experience:
The man’s name was Richard Paul Evans and one day he decided to write a story for his 2daughters - it was called “The Christmas Box”. His wife liked the story so much that he had 20 copies printed to distribute to his brothers and sisters and other family members as gifts for the Christmas season. He soon started receiving phone calls from unknown people telling him how much the book had moved them. He began to track how many people had read his original 20 copies. He counted 160 after which, he stopped counting. The feedback was so overwhelmingly amazing that he made an effort to have the book published - but no publisher was in the market for another Christmas book and they all passed on the chance. So he decided to publish the book himself. He filled his station wagon with books and went across the country from bookstore to bookstore selling his little 5 dollar book. Many times, he sat for hours at book signing events without actually signing a single book. He slept in his car day after day only plugging away to sell a few more books.
One day he decided to take a leap and buy a booth at a tradeshow held by the American Booksellers Association. The cost of the booth was $400. He needed to sell 80 books in order to break even. He was promised thousands of visitors, but he sat at his booth and nobody arrived. It was dead. His disappointment mounted until finally he stood up and went to find out where all the people were hiding. Much to his frustration, he discovered that they were all in the main hall, having their books signed by ‘famous authors’. He was fuming. There he observed a large table with authors assembled side by side greeting lines of hungry fans waiting for a signature on their book. He was a nobody and they were a somebody receiving the recognition which he so much wanted. And then he uncovered something that would forever change the direction of his life… he noticed an empty seat at the table. And it was in that moment that Richard Paul Evans took his turn. He went back to his booth, picked up a couple of boxes of his books, went back to the main hall and took the vacant seat at the table. A security guard approached him. He looked up and said, “Sorry I am late …” and she replied, “Would you like a glass of water?” That event changed his life forever. He is now a best selling author with more than 8 million books sold in both soft and hard copy world wide.
Think about how many times you've shied away from taking your turn and question what you have gained as a result. I bet the answer is nothing. Taking your turn requires blind faith, entering into the unknown with nervous excitement, and all that can come from a single decision, the decision of the right turn…taking your turn.
Taking your turn means coming to the table with chutzpah, gumption, and unarguable belief in your objectives. If you're serious about getting into where you want to be - then never think twice about taking your turn. Just grab it and run - and for goodness sakes…never look back!
Kim Ades, MBA, President of Frame of Mind Coaching and JournalEngine™ Software, is one of North America’s foremost experts on performance through thought management. By using her unique process of coaching through journaling, she works with clients to unveil and switch their thought patterns to ignite significant change and life transformation. Visit www.frameofmindcoaching.com to sign up for your own free, secure, online journal.
