Wait for nothing

(Special thanks to Wicks for the beautiful painting.)

I’m such a sucker for John Maxwell books. His stuff is the greatest. It seems like every time I have an extra half-hour at an airport, I buy a new one.

Probably my favorite of his books is Success, One Day at a Time, in which he says, “Success is waiting for you to make the first move.”

I first read this after a giving a speech at Wayne State University. I’ll never forget Tom, the student in the audience who asked me, “What kind of formal training did you have in the areas of giving speeches and writing books?”

And I thought, “Training…?”

Nothing. Zip. Nada. I just started doing it. I waited for nothing.

This brings to mind another pertinent quotation from Og Mandino, one of the world’s most beloved (and my favorite) self-help author. He said in his University of Success, “Being here is all the permission we need to succeed.”

Amen to that!

That means you don’t need to wait for anything or anybody to make a name for yourself.

You don’t need to wait for permission.
You don’t need to wait for the right time.
You don’t need to wait until you get the money.
You don’t need to wait for someone else to lead the way.
You don’t need to wait until you’ve had 20 years of experience.
You don’t need to wait for the mainstream to validate your voice.

I wrote my first book when I was 22.
I gave my first paid speech when I was 23.

Apparently, that’s not the way you’re “supposed” to do it.

See, most authors and speakers spend half their lives working for some big company or organization, then decide to write books or give speeches.

Not the other way around.

But the age of 22, my thought was, “Dude, I’m not waiting 15 years. Screw that! I’m ready now. Let’s go…”

So I did. And looking back, I realize it was the smartest move I ever made.

LET ME ASK YA THIS…
What are you waiting for?

LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
Make a list of everything you’re waiting for, everything that’s holding you back. Burn it.

* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
Author/Speaker/That Guy with the Nametag
www.hellomynameisscott.com

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