Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.
“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it” – Salvador Dali
I was coaching my son’s baseball team this past weekend and it happened again. One of the kids on my team cried when he was thrown out after making great contact with the ball. Another slammed down his bat and helmet and got teary-eyed after striking out for the third time in the game. Yet another was frustrated that his long line drive was caught by another kid in the outfield who made a fabulous catch.
At the same time our game was being played, there were some Major League Baseball games going on across the country. The exact same things happened in those games except the players didn’t cry, slam down the bat or question their decision to play baseball.
As you grow up and mature, you learn that even the best of baseball players usually only get hits about 3 out of 10 times they are up to bat. The last player to have a higher batting average than .400 for the entire season was Ted Williams in 1941. That was 73 years ago!!!
(Yeah, I know there ARE “perfect games” in baseball but that usually involves an entire team and not just one person)
“Golf is a not a game of good shots. It’s a game of bad shots.” – Ben Hogan
The same thing happens on golf courses around the world every single day. Golfers slice drives, shank chips and miss putts then get angry because they aren’t playing better. These aren’t professional golfers. I’m talking about amateurs. Men and women who have careers and families and other things to do but play the game of golf as a hobby or for recreation or escape. Golf is a really difficult game but it’s almost impossible if you only play the game once a week and never, ever practice.
PGA Tour players are among the best of the best golfers in the world. They practice hours a day and certainly practice every time before they start their “job” each day. They practice shots under every possible condition – wind, sidehill lies, escape shots, etc. – so when they encounter those situations on the golf course, and especially in tournament conditions, they can execute the shot without thinking.
“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” – Vince Lombardi
When was the last time you practiced your listing presentation? Have you ever felt you had the perfect transaction? Is your database 100% complete, without a missing phone number, email address or birthdate? Would someone look at your daily schedule and aspire to duplicate what you do?
The fact is there is probably no such thing as “perfection” in a sales career like real estate but as coach Lombardi says, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be doing everything we can to provide truly remarkable service and memorable experiences to our customers and clients. It shouldn’t mean that we settle for the status quo when we could do something amazing. It certainly shouldn’t stop us from expecting the best.
What will you do today to become better? How will you raise your game this week? Will you keep working hard to make this your best year ever?
Don’t get frustrated is it doesn’t happen today…or this week… or even this year. Keep practicing. Keep learning. Keep seeking help from coaches, teachers and other professionals.
And always keep building relationships, solving problems and having fun.
Photo Credit: Derek Gavey
Photo Credit: Greg Westfall