In baseball batters miss pitches. In football receivers miss catches. Tall basketball guys miss free throws. Singers fail to make the cut. Talented people don’t get hired. The best proposal does not always win. Sales professionals miss deals. And you too, will miss whatever it is you do from time to time.
From yoga practitioners to the ski slope heroes, from the classroom to the boardroom, people have, do, and will continue to miss the mark on occasion. And when they do, the rank and file will dig into their excuse ditty-bag and begin boring us all to tears with their “reasons why.”
I am reminded of a great lesson I learned from the Italian Olympic skier Alberto Tomba quite a few years ago. He was a lock for the gold in the Men’s Downhill when he left the gate at the top of the mountain. Within 14 milliseconds his left ski dug an edge and he shot straight into a bordering snow fence. Once out of the race Alberto skied down the mountain while enjoying the view for the first time. He was to be interviewed by an ABC Wide World of Sports TV commentator. “Alberto. You were a lock for gold. You did not even finish. What happened?”
Alberto looked straight into the camera and replied without pause, “I fell.” He then skied away probably to order himself a cold one at the nearest ski chalet. I will always remember that response. No excuses. No apologies. Just the knowledge and appreciation that “stuff happens.”
The great ones pick themselves up. Dust themselves off. And climb back up the hill to ski again.
Mike Marchev freely shares his experiences, strategies and observations with travel professionals in an effort to keep them on top of their game. For a complimentary copy of his 12-Word Marketing Plan send him an email at mike@mikemarchev.com.
Mike’s daily column is made possible by AmaWaterways.
