Full Steam Ahead!: Be an Active Participant, Not a Spectator | Travel Research Online

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Full Steam Ahead!: Be an Active Participant, Not a Spectator

“Everyone assumed responsibility for their own actions. They took charge of their future, not passively waiting for it to happen.”

Full Steam Ahead! by Ken Blanchard and Jesse Lyn Stoner, page 24

I am reminded of the three types of people who make up our entrepreneurial landscape. There are those who make things happen. There are others who watch things happen. And yes, there are quite a few who sit there scratching their heads wondering, “What just happened?”

I would like to remind you that you happen to be in one of the most exciting, if not the most exciting, businesses there is today. My reasoning is academic in that there is a minimal cost of entry, you have no carrying costs, your product availability is endless, and there is a huge market to serve. These four considerations spell nothing less than “enormous opportunity.”

Click on the book to grab your own copy of "Full Steam Ahead!"
Click on the book to grab your own copy of “Full Steam Ahead!”

The author/actor Woody Allen once went on record to say, “I have accomplished many fine things in my life. I have not accomplished everything I set out to accomplish, but I have nobody to blame but myself.”

I think that most of you reading today’s column can identify with Woody’s words. If you don’t, you should. You can be as successful as you want to be in our industry based on the four points I listed above. If you fall short or fail to achieve your personal objectives (business-wise) you have nobody to blame but yourself.

Contrary to what many millennials have come to believe, the world does not owe anybody a living. This is also true for you baby boomers out there who still believe that you can coast into the Promised Land having earned straight “A’s” in college.

As we approach another new year, a word that keeps coming back to me is the word “responsibility.” When are we going to start taking responsibility for our future? It was the late Michael Jackson who reminded us that “If you want to make the world a better place, take a look in the mirror and make a change.”

I am afraid that many travel practitioners find themselves playing the “waiting game.” This may have been a successful strategy when they entered the business a few years back, but with the competition being what it is today, the “waiting game” will prove to be a certain eliminator.

Take personal responsibility for your future success and then apply my Big Three Step Strategy: (1) Get up. (2) Get out. And (3) make more people glad they know you.


Mike presents a business-building webinar on the third Thursday of every month sponsored by AmaWaterways. To receive monthly invitations send Mike an email with the words “business training” in the Subject Box. You will also receive a link to the recorded version.

For information on Mike’s Fourth Annual Training Cruise, email Mike at mike@mikemarchev.com with the word “cruise” in the subject box.

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