ARE YOU READY TO START?
I once heard a presentation by motivational speaker Zig Ziglar which really hit home with me. It did so because it so closely resembled conversations that I have had with people interested in studying the martial arts, but were just "too busy" to begin. It goes something like this…
A young lady, obviously on her way to meet some friends for lunch at Kelsey's, stops to watch peek in through the front windows of our school. Intrigued by what she sees, she ventures into our lobby. Met by one of our smiling staff, she shares that she has "always wanted to get involved with something like this." When she is offered the opportunity to try one of our classes, she counters with the following:
"I would just love to start now, but seeing how it is the summer time, and we have holidays planned and the kids are out of school, I think that it would best if I waited until September. Once the kids are back in school, I will have more time."
At this time, we offer to contact the lady in September when "she will have more time." She gives us her contact information, grabs a brochure and hurries off to Kelsey's for her lunch.
September rolls around and we follow up as promised. When offered the opportunity to begin at this time, the lady says the following:
"You know, I would just love to start now, but seeing how the kids have just started back to school, I have to run them to basketball practices, and I have just joined the PTA. Give me a couple of months to get basketball out of the way, and get the kids organized in school, and then I will be able to begin."
Now into November, we once again pick up the phone and call this "eager to get involved" lady.
"Yes, basketball is over" she says, "But now here we are just getting into the holiday season. We have parties coming up, relatives will be visiting and I have a ton of shopping to do this year. If we could just wait until after the holidays, I know that I would have more time, and then I could get started."
Do you notice the trend here yet? This lady doesn't, and so we follow up with her once again in January.
"Thank you for not giving up on me" she says. "I really want to get started. I've put on so much weight over the holidays. But... now the kids are playing hockey. We have practices and games, and in addition to that, the weather is just terrible. If we could just wait a couple of months, hockey will be over and the weather will be better. Then I can start."
March 1st is now here and exercising our persistence, we pick up the phone.
"I was just thinking about you. My kids hockey is done and I want to get going, but… we are going away on holidays for March break. I am 'pretty sure' that once that is out of the way, I will be able to get going with my martial arts training."
OK, so now here we are in April, and our young lady in question is still waiting to begin. We phone her again…
"You won't believe it" she sighs, "I forgot all about soccer. My son has just started, and I told them I would help coach the team. This is really taking up a lot of my time, but I only have to do it until June. Just give me until June, my time will be more free then, and I will positively get going!"
The months fly by, and although we have long since lost all belief that this lady will ever begin, we follow up with her as she has asked.
"Thanks for calling me" she says. "You are so diligent. I really want to get going with my martial arts training, and now that my soccer commitment's are done, I can almost start. (Yes, she said almost!) School is just about done, and once it is over and summer holidays begin, then I will be able to get going."
Did she say 'summer holidays?' Isn't that where this story started? Sadly, it's true. We have gone a full circle, and this lady doesn't even realize that she has wasted an entire year!
If we look hard enough, we can always find reasons why tomorrow will be better to begin than today. Yes, life can be hectic, but I have found that the busiest people are also some of our best students. Why? Because they know the value of time, and they realize that beginning something today, will always get them further ahead than waiting until tomorrow.
Now, what was the reason you were waiting to begin?
"There are many fine things which you mean to do some day, under what you think will be more favorable circumstances. But the only time that is yours is the present." -Grenville Kleiser