Dig, On!

Recently I stumbled across a journal of mine from 1994. I was startled and sadly dismayed that I am struggling today with most of the same issues I was wrestling with sixteen years ago. How depressing!

So, that brings me to the story of the gopher.

A really smart, lifelong friend of my husband's -- Joe -- is a self-made man, a real rags-to-riches guy. Came from nothing, became a millionaire (plus).

He could sell ice to an eskimo, as the saying goes.

He's a fabulous motivational speaker and has been managing sales people most of his career.

He tells this story about sales people being like gophers. All day long they forge ahead, and dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig, dig away. And they get tired, and weary, and discouraged, because most of the time? No matter how hard they dig, nothing ever changes. It always looks the same. No headway made at all.

Joe likes to say the secret with gophers, and sales people, is every once in a while you have to tunnel in after them and turn them around, just so they can take a good hard look and see how far they've come.

Dig on, brave heart women, dig on!

Copyright 2010 – Ellen M. Lambert