Practicing Scales

An insurmountable wall

Practicing Scales

One of my close friends has been working many years toward the accomplishment of a long-term goal.  He’s very close to success by almost all measures; except for one.

His wife called me this week to ask for help.  “My husband is discouraged!  He no longer believes he can get over his last hurdle!  Can you help?”

My friend views himself as standing in front of a wall and he has no way to get over it.  Now he’s given up and has begun to dream the wall away, thinking that someone will come and remove it for him.  Such a dream has tempted all of us, at one time or another, and it can be a costly delusion.

Here is a strategy you and I will benefit from when our hope of breaking through an obstacle has dissipated.

First, sit down and review the path you’ve been on as if it were a map.  When I had given up one time my boss, Phil Evans, looked me right in the eye and said, “You’re right on the verge of breaking through!  Let’s sit down and look at what you’ve accomplished so far.  Doing so will show you just how tiny that wall really is!  When you’ve walked ten miles down a path, that ten foot wall is revealed for what it really is; a simple bump in the road!”

Second, notice why you’re stuck.  I’ve found that when I’m feeling really stuck its because I don’t know what to do!  The situation is new to me, but it isn’t new to everyone!  That’s exactly why I went to Phil in the first place.  He’d been down this path many times, with many different people.  All I had to do is recognize his expertise and ask him for help!

Third, account for cost in the right way.  When facing a huge obstacle, sometimes you and I think the cost to get around it is just too high.  It will take more effort than you or I have left to expend.  This kind of thinking reveals that the thinker is only taking one cost into account.  And, there is another, hidden-in-plain-sight cost most fail to see.  What is the cost of not getting over the hurdle?  Do you really want to walk that whole ten miles back to where you started?

Fourth.  Sometimes you need to hire someone who has expertise and the right tools!  I used to do lots of work by myself because I thought it would save me some money.  Then one day my friend Dave Adams showed up with the right tools and did the work I’d been struggling with for weeks in about ten minutes!   

“Having the right tools is everything!” Dave said to me as I gladly wrote a check to him for his exceptional, skilled work. 

Paying for expertise and skill isn’t really an expense.  It is a small investment made to pave the way for the huge gains to be made by sidestepping  “opportunity cost!”

Finally, I’ve found that sitting down to review my path rekindles my excitement!  My commitment is redoubled because I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!  I can see myself reaching my goal.  That’s when I can muster the strength to make one last push to cross the plane for the win.   This internal commitment is what’s really needed to crush that looming wall!

So, to all my friends out there, standing in front of that impenetrable wall.  You’ve worked many years to reach your goals.  You’re close to success by all measures.  Let your internal commitment to your triumph give you the strength to recognize that you’re on the verge of breaking through.  Call in the help and expertise you need to give you a little boost. 

And, enjoy scaling that height!