As a business owner, I’m always looking to enhance my odds of a successful outcome, whether it be a speaking engagement, an initial conversation with a prospect, or an actual client assignment.
As a budding photographer, I had that same goal in mind when I booked a weekend in Washington DC for the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The Tidal Basin ringed in pink blossoms in the shadow of the Jefferson Memorial is one of the most stunning places to photograph. I figured, how hard would it be for a beginner like me to get a great picture?
Well, what I didn’t count on was a winter that lingered into April, keeping the air temperature too cold for the cherries to bloom. I was one of thousands of tourists, camera in hand, strolling among the bare trees on a weekend that is normally considered the peak of color.
Then I stumbled into an orchard swathed in brilliant yellow. Forsythia trees were in full bloom at one end of the Basin. Around each one, families and friends posed for both group shots and selfies, and a close up or two of the golden blossoms themselves.
Because conditions weren’t perfect for the cherry blossoms, they continued to hide, so pent up demand was lavished on the grove of forsythias instead. These flowers were ready for their close up!
It made me think about how tempting it is for professionals to hide when conditions are less than perfect. “It’s the holidays,” “It’s tax season,” “I don’t have my (website/elevator pitch/LinkedIn profile/etc.) ready yet,” or whatever the reason may be.
I’ve found that success comes from consistently reaching out for opportunities, not from saving your strength until every star is aligned. What are you saving it for? Pulling yourself out of the game only puts you further behind competitors who continually work at building their visibility, making new contacts and having conversations to create those opportunities.
So here are some questions to consider…
- Where are you holding yourself back from playing full out?
- What is it you think you are missing?
- What are you doing to overcome this?
Over the next few days, think about these questions, but more importantly, think about ACTIONS you can take to put yourself in the best light no matter what the conditions, so you’ll be ready to shine anytime, all the time.
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© 2013, Liz Lynch International LLC
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