The Way You Do Anything is the Way You Do Everything: The Why of Why Your Business Isn't Making More Money

Chapter 8

Not Being Practical

Being realistic is the most commonly traveled road to mediocrity.

— Will Smith

Recently, a dear friend of mine was diagnosed with endometrial cancer.

We have been taught since elementary school that attitude matters. We've all heard it a million times. As adults, we understand the Buddhist principle that “thoughts become things,” but it becomes much clearer when real life or death is right there in your face.

You are either choosing to live or die in every minute of every second of every day. Sadly, my friend just doesn't see things that way. Being practical helps when fighting for your life. You want to get the right answers and take the right medicine, but you always want to make sure you're taking the right path.

You likely know the announcement from television and radio: “This is a test. This is only a test. This is a test of the emergency broadcast system.” I remember when I was a kid it always happened during afternoon TV—and it would scare me. Tests can be scary. I am a really poor test taker, lousy at SATs and not great during exam time.

I've been able to get rid of some of that fear over the years, and now I kind of love tests. When you work with over 300 clients at any given time, something always pops up. With tons of different energies, experiences, needs, and personalities, there is always some test being presented to you, and your rational ...