It’s almost 1 a.m., I’m sitting in Steak & Shake in Lakeland waiting for AAA to come look at the truck. I’m half asleep already since my flight arrived 2 hours late to Tampa. I think it’s just a bad battery, but at 1a.m., how do I fix that? While I’m waiting, I have a Berry Berry Cobbler ala mode and ponder what got me here. When we have assets, be it belongings (like the truck), skills, or knowledge that don’t get used regularly, they tend to “break down†and leave us in a lurch when we need them most. As an example, I played the flute all through school.
Hours upon hours of practice, but now, 15 years later, I probably can’t put 2 notes together. This applies to skills used in the business world also. If you only “negotiate†once a year, you’ll never be very good. However, if you educate yourself through a seminar or books & tapes and practice regularly, you’ll become a pro (probably time better spent anyway – how many professional flautists are there? Maybe our education system should teach Contract Negotiation 101.) Don’t think these skills are important? How about asking for a raise? Getting your kids to clean their room or your husband to fix the gate? Do you think you’d be more successful in these situations if you knew a little about the psychology behind their behavior & decisions?
I guess the point of my midnight musing is simple – USE IT or LOSE IT! All the “get out of jail free†cards in the world won’t do you a bit of good if someone else wins the game while you’re stockpiling. So my challenge to you is this: Pick one skill that’s gotten a little rusty and make the first step towards regaining it – whether it is a sewing club, dance lessons, or Toastmasters. Put this article down and make the call. You’ll be glad you did. Oh, by the way, if you’re reading this, I made it home okay, and the truck probably has had the once over and a new battery and oh yeah, my negotiating tapes have been pulled down off the shelf and listened to again.
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