So much of what we do often goes unnoticed and frequently seems unappreciated. It is the leaders job to notice and appreciate the contributions of everyone in the organization and reward those people for making outstanding contributions. I disagree with the idea that just showing up deserves special recognition, like today’s kids soccer teams where everyone gets a trophy just for being a part of the team. Participation does not equal success, although participating is better than sitting on the sidelines and not getting involved at all. Life offers you two paths — which will you take?

We face two sides of life every day — we can choose to be happy or we can become mired down in a “whoa is me” attitude and blame everyone else for our short comings or failures. Getting started is often our single biggest problem. Get off the couch! Get up and get going!!! Once you have that inertia, keep going, push on. Do not let little set backs derail your progress. Although nothing about success is guaranteed, I can guarantee you if you do not try, you will surely fail. One of my favorite books, although a little dated now, is Success is a Journey: 7 Steps to Achieving Success in the Business of Life, by Jeffrey J. Mayer. This quote has stayed with me through out much of my career: “The only way you can fail is if you quit. So you just can’t fail the last time you try” (Mayer, 2000).