There is a story Zig Ziglar told about Harry Houdini, the great escape artist. Houdini had a reputation that he could break out of any jail cell. One day, a little town in Mexico invited him to come and try to escape from their newly constructed jail. They promised him lots of publicity and money. Houdini loved both, so he accepted the invitation.
After arriving at his destination and being graciously welcomed by his hosts, Houdini thanked them for their hospitality. They led him into the jail cell and closed the door behind him. As part of the agreement, the dignitaries then left him alone to try and escape. Houdini immediately pulled a thin wire from his trouser cuff and went to work on the jail cell door. He was usually able to pick a lock in a matter of minutes, but something was wrong. Before long, his forehead showed beads of sweat as ten minutes passed. After another twenty minutes went by, he removed his jacket, still with no success. After another sixty minutes, perspiring heavily, the great Harry Houdini was unsuccessful and collapsed in exhaustion against the door, which opened. Later, to his surprise, he learned the door had never been locked. The only place it was locked was in his own mind.
How many times have you thought you could not do something? How many times has this kind of thinking, prevented you from doing what was necessary to succeed? Far too often, people sell themselves short. They mistakenly believe they don’t have the tools to succeed at being promoted within their company or landing the job of their dreams with a different company. Excuses like, “I don’t have the right education”, or “I am not good at that sort of thing”, or “I don’t know the right people”, prevent them from even trying. If you truly want to succeed, this kind of thinking is not for you.
To insure you don’t make the same mistake that Harry Houdini made, never assume you cannot succeed at something. Instead, look for all the ways you can succeed, take action, and before you know it, you will have succeeded.
Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC. He is a business consultant, speaker, coach and author. He helps companies and organization become more profitable by increasing their value and lowering their costs through the professional development of their managers and employees. Please see more of his blogs at ConstructionJobForceblog.com and view additional job postings at Nexxt
After arriving at his destination and being graciously welcomed by his hosts, Houdini thanked them for their hospitality. They led him into the jail cell and closed the door behind him. As part of the agreement, the dignitaries then left him alone to try and escape. Houdini immediately pulled a thin wire from his trouser cuff and went to work on the jail cell door. He was usually able to pick a lock in a matter of minutes, but something was wrong. Before long, his forehead showed beads of sweat as ten minutes passed. After another twenty minutes went by, he removed his jacket, still with no success. After another sixty minutes, perspiring heavily, the great Harry Houdini was unsuccessful and collapsed in exhaustion against the door, which opened. Later, to his surprise, he learned the door had never been locked. The only place it was locked was in his own mind.
How many times have you thought you could not do something? How many times has this kind of thinking, prevented you from doing what was necessary to succeed? Far too often, people sell themselves short. They mistakenly believe they don’t have the tools to succeed at being promoted within their company or landing the job of their dreams with a different company. Excuses like, “I don’t have the right education”, or “I am not good at that sort of thing”, or “I don’t know the right people”, prevent them from even trying. If you truly want to succeed, this kind of thinking is not for you.
To insure you don’t make the same mistake that Harry Houdini made, never assume you cannot succeed at something. Instead, look for all the ways you can succeed, take action, and before you know it, you will have succeeded.
Tom Borg is president of Tom Borg Consulting, LLC. He is a business consultant, speaker, coach and author. He helps companies and organization become more profitable by increasing their value and lowering their costs through the professional development of their managers and employees. Please see more of his blogs at ConstructionJobForceblog.com and view additional job postings at Nexxt
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