Monday Morning Coffee | January 11, 2010

FORGET THE LEADER!

On the playground of any school, and on any day, you can witness examples of children playing "follow the leader." One hops, skips, or jumps, and all the others follow. As adults, however, many of those children play a variation of that game - called "follow the follower."

On the job, they look around, see how someone else is doing their work, and duplicate the effort. What they don't realize is that their fellow employee is also watching someone else. A circular game of "follow the follower" evolves, resulting in a mediocre work force. The same can be true in marriages, education, hobbies, and sports.

Consider the story of a telephone operator in a small town. Every day she received a call from a gentleman asking for the correct time. Finally, one day, she asked the mystery caller who he was and why he called every day. His answer? "I'm the one who blows the whistle at the factory each day at noon. I like to be right on time!" The operator laughed and then responded, "Here at the telephone company, we set our watches and clocks by the noon whistle at the factory!"

Tired of playing follow the follower? Want to rejuvenate your life? Begin acting like the unique person you already are. See what everyone else is doing . . . and do something different. Strike out in the direction of your own imagination instead of theirs.

In the words of Henry David Thoreau, "Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined."