You Never Know What Is Around the Corner

Last week, I had the great pleasure of delivering my Productivity Masterclass to a Vistage group led by Chair Chris Charnock for the first time.
 
It was one of the hottest days of the year, but thankfully both my hotel and the boardroom were air-conditioned!
 
The group were engaged and energetic, and the discussions were a real highlight as members explored how they could apply the techniques to their own businesses and lives.
 
During one of the breakout sessions, I sat back, relaxed and took it all in.
 
And a thought came into my head that hasn’t left me since.
 
 
I Thought About My Decorating Days
 
Before setting up my business, I worked as a painter and decorator, sometimes up to ten hours a day, earning very little.
 
As I sat in that boardroom, doing something I absolutely love, I realised it would once have taken me two weeks of decorating to earn what I was earning for delivering that one masterclass.
 
It wasn’t the money that struck me.
 
It was the journey.
 
Because when I was decorating, I couldn’t see any of this coming.
 
I hated decorating. I was barely scraping by. I had no successful speaking business, no recommendations, and no major organisations booking my masterclasses.
 
But I still had a dream.
 
And I kept going.
 
 
It Reminded Me of My Basketball Career
 
I wasn’t the most naturally talented player. To be honest, I was probably fairly average.
 
But I had persistence and a relentless work ethic.
 
I practised and practised. Most of the time, I couldn’t see myself improving.
 
But bit by bit, year by year, something was happening.
 
Eventually, I became a professional and international basketball player and, in one remarkable local league game, scored 98 points.
 
 
Then I Had to Start Again
 
My business journey has been remarkably similar.
 
It has taken me around 12 years to get to where I am today.
 
Then COVID arrived.
 
Almost overnight, my speaking and training business disappeared.
 
At 66, I effectively had to start again.
 
It was incredibly difficult and disheartening.
 
But once again, I kept going.
 
Slowly, the bookings returned. Then came repeat bookings. Then recommendations. Then coaching opportunities.
 
Today, I coach people over several sessions and actually see them changing in front of me as they implement the techniques we discuss.
 
That’s incredibly rewarding.
 
 
The Remarkable Story of Morris Frank
 
While thinking about persistence, I came across the remarkable true story of Morris Frank.
 
Morris lost his sight in both eyes when he was young. In 1928, he travelled to Switzerland and was partnered with a German Shepherd guide dog he named Buddy.
 
When he returned to America, guide dogs were virtually unknown and often refused access to public places and transport.
 
Morris could have accepted this.
 
He didn’t.
 
He spent years campaigning and demonstrating what guide dogs could do. Eventually, attitudes and laws changed, helping open the way for thousands of blind people to live more independently.
 
His story reminded me of something very simple.
 
Sometimes you don’t need to see the road ahead. You just need enough belief to take the next step.
 
 
I Couldn’t See the Boardroom
 
Looking back, that describes much of my own journey.
 
When I was an average young basketball player, I couldn’t see the England vest.
 
When COVID wiped out my business, I couldn’t see the recovery.
 
And when I was decorating, I couldn’t see the boardroom.
 
But I kept going.
 
Psychologist Angela Duckworth calls it grit: passion and perseverance towards long-term goals.
 
I call it refusing to give up.
 
Because none of us knows what is around the corner.
 
You may not be able to see the progress.
 
You may not be able to see the destination.
 
But that doesn’t mean you’re not getting closer.
 
 
3 Key Learnings
 
1. Progress is often invisible.
Small improvements repeated consistently can eventually create extraordinary results.
 
2. Your circumstances today don’t define your future.
Where you are now is not necessarily where you will be tomorrow.
 
3. Persistence can outperform talent.
Talent helps, but refusing to give up can take you further than you ever imagined.
 
 
Thoughts for the Week
 
1. What dream have you quietly stopped believing is possible?
2. Where do you need to keep going, even though you can’t yet see the results?
3. What if you are much closer to your breakthrough than you think?
 
Keep believing. Keep working. Keep moving forward.
 
You never know what is around the corner. 
 
Well, that’s it for this week.
 
Have a wonderful week ahead.
 
Warm regards
 
John


Off the Wall https://tinyurl.com/3tvr892z  
  
100 Days https://tinyurl.com/4vsejtur