Morning Folks!
Hindsight is always 20/20 but to calibrate for the future one must look back so you can learn. Over the years I have miscalculated on a number of things. Things that I did not see coming or truly understand. But always factors in the total equation whether I/We like it or not.
Even tho I had a 20 year plan I woke up every single day asking myself is this the day? Is this the day that it just all starts falling in place for folks and since water runs down hill they will eventually figure it out? Is it tomorrow? Next week? Next month? Next year? Realizing how slow the masses would take, that 20 year plan is what has kept my sanity. I did not overestimate the power of time and progress. And while I have done everything in my power to bend it ever so slightly, it bent in directions I never imagined.
For example. There was Network Solutions. The only registrar. Just one. Incompetent as they were at the time, just 1. So registrars today are some of the big dogs. I just saw it as a penny ante game with a mountain of work, 24 hour tech support, security issues, privacy issues, all types of issues. Not to mention the technical challenges and skills needed in a full employment society at the time.
I never expected the cat fights between domain investors. Usually over stuff unrelated to doing business. Just never saw it coming to the magnitude it once did. I always expected sharp and productive people to also be constructive.
But the single biggest thing that has surprised me over all these years when I look back is how low the bar is, how big the opportunities are and how low folks have aimed. In a sky full of stars and opportunity (and there is not enough time in life to hear about everyone's successes) many have aimed mightily low when it could have been high,with a realistic set of goals to carry it out.
Big goals consist of hundreds of mini-goals. Daily goals, hourly goals, weekly goals, monthly goals, quarterly goals, annual goals, 2 year goals, 5 year goals, 10 year goals and even 20 and 30 year goals. Right now I am transitioning into my 40 year goal plans. Oh yes, I have one. I plan to live in comfort. That's what it is all about if you don't want to be panhandling on the street when you are 75 or 80. Or having to move in with someone because your circumstance forces it.
I have been amazed that so few can marry a dream with a circumstance and create a reality. And when they do, the goal is either so high that failure looms or it is so low that success matters very little. It's about assigning a value to something and have somebody else agree.
The future is about 7 billion people jumping up and down yelling ' Me, me me, here, here, here and in a crowd of 7 billion you need to do things to stand out. Stand out. Be above and trenscend others. When there are 7 billion people all 6 feet tall and you are 7 feet tall, you stand out. When you are on a mountain you stand out. When you are in the sky, you stand out. So when I see the future I see 7 billion people looking to stand out. But to stand out, you need to first start by being outstanding. And to be outstanding you have to have a mindset that works that way. Your domain name has to stand high and on its' own. It may be the only thing that defines you in the future to help you and others stand out.
This is the story that Loren Stocker sent me and the event that Bart Starr related on his first day with the Green Bay Packers and I think it IS perfect!
“When Vince Lombardi walked into the meeting he looked us right in the eye. He said, ‘Gentlemen. We’re going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we won’t catch it, because nothing is perfect. But, we’re going to relentlessly -- and that’s how he blurted it -- chase it. Because in the process we will catch excellence'... And he said, 'I’m not remotely interested in being just good.”
Mediocrity rules the majority of 7 billion. Some don't even make it to that level. So when you set your mind correctly and approach things in a certain way, that is what bends success in your favor. The sky truly is the limit. But you have to define that sky and a plausible way to get there. Long term and steady. Undeterred by anything or anyone and driven and fueled by passion and excellence. Few forces can hold energy like that back.
The only reason I can speak about this is because I started 'Sub-mediocre' and have seen the sights up from that depth so I know they exist first hand. The stages are easy to spot and the quicker and younger you figure it out the more rewards and dividends you will get in life. Your blessings help others in the process in a multitude of ways.
So when you wake up tomorrow know there has never been another day in the history of mankind with more opportunity and the tools that kids like me could not even dream about. The power we each possess is ours to use as we see fit. You are the artist and you can take your canvas called 'Life' and paint any picture you desire. That is some awesome power!
Have a GREAT Day!
Rick Schwartz
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