When I was a little boy, there were a few things (activities) that I could not do very well.  Consequently, I always avoided doing or attempting to do them which, at least in my own mind, avoided the criticism or fun-making of me and my failure to perform well.  Do you have any such memories? 

Reading and drawing (art classes) were definitely not my strengths.  As I continue to age and mature, I am continually counting my blessings, and  again and again thanking my parents, even though they have both since passed-on, for refusing to allow me to cop-out or wimp-out by making excuses as to why I could not do certain things well.  Instead of permitting me to throw-in-the-towel on myself, and cease performing an activity within my areas of weakness, they rather did the opposite.  They required me to work at strengthening my weaknesses and learning how to do better at what I was not doing properly. 

It is so easy today, for many different and varied reasons, to overlook the important things because we are so focused on doing the immediate things that life continues to dish out to us.  My parents demanded that what you do with the use of your time and energies was the good and proper thing to do and that you did it right!…No matter how many times it took you to complete the job.  I can remember how irritating it was for me to be told… “that is not the way to do it….so start over and do it right!” 

Well, I know from experience that no one likes to be told to do something over again that they are working on…..BUT....if you don’t do it right, you are not going to get the results you are attempting to achieve.  Therefore it does not make a whole lot of sense, at least to me, to continue doing things the wrong way and keep expecting after your work is completed that you are ever going to receive right results from your wrong work!  My Dad used to always say to me, “Buckshot,…slow down and do it right!  Doing things the wrong way never works.  If you don’t do it right, you will have to redo it.  If you don’t have time to do it right the first time,… how are you ever going to find time to redo it?”  Don’t you just hate common sense questions that apply directly toward yourself?  As a point of clarity so as to disarm your thoughts about my father, he would never demand that I do anything that he had not already taught me how to do properly or that he had not already done himself.  He was extremely self-disciplined and demanded excellence from himself in all of his performed efforts.  He like-wise demanded excellence from his family.  I would have to think that because of his background as a very successful U.S. Navy Chief and a very successful businessman, and his exceedingly long list of great achievements, that all such things fit together and gave rise to the manner and way that he lived his life.  All I can say is “Thanks, Dad…for being such a great example to learn from and observe!”…and…“ Thanks Mom, for the very same things coupled with how to love and serve other people!” 

By reading all kinds of interesting books on subjects that I wanted to know more about, I learned how to read very well.  I learned how to study what I was reading, and I learned, with the help of my earthly father, how to summarize what I was reading in a good outline form.  It all helped me to better remember and file away for future use the information I was gathering from my personal reading habit as I was developing it. 

Success is not an accident.  Success is a planned event.  And…if you are not purposely planning to succeed, then you are automatically planning to fail,….by default!  Failure or quitting were not socially acceptable and therefore never permitted under the watchful oversight of my earthly father. 

As far as my artwork was concerned,…..well, I just never got it.  Try as I may and then retry several more times, nothing of significance or beauty ever seemed to happen.  To get it right was more than my personal capability ever allowed.  So I just have had to live with no personal ability to draw well.  I still survived.  At least being a bad artist did not kill me. 

So here is what I would like to share with you who are choosing to build your own career, your own professional service organization, or your own personal business.  Start right where you are right now…and take the first step towards achieving what it is that you desire to accomplish.  Never forget that the longest journey, or project, starts with a first step. 

Do not allow yourself to become overwhelmed with the magnitude of your heart’s desire.  Remember, when it is too hard to picture in your mind’s eye the whole journey, break the trip down into smaller little mini-trips or sub- journeys.  Keep reducing the big journey down until the first step seems totally attainable to you……Then take it!…………. 

Don’t worry about anything…just keep moving forward as best you are able. 

The others will eventually begin to follow you. 

Remember,… As you are climbing up the ladder to your own success,…..Take One Step at a Time!  You will make it to the top if you do not give up or quit! 

Peter Nivio Zarlenga said it as plainly as I have ever heard it said.  He stated:

“To begin,……begin!” 

………..you make something happen for yourself. 

Permit me to share a little “cowboy wisdom.”  No man or woman has ever reached then end of a journey,… they never began. 

And some more….Momentum cannot be established until someone, somewhere begins “rolling the ball.” 

Life can really be easy if we don’t try to complicate it. 

Peace and Love to All of You…………………Poppa Bear