3 January 2008

Lisbeth's dream of going to India was alive and intact. But when she got up I interrupted: "Where are you going?" – "I'm going to India off course!" – she answered with surprise with her jacket in her hand as if a plane was waiting for her. "Sit down for a minute," I asked her.

We put it of for so long that the joy of putting it of overshadows the pain of taking action. Lisbeth had her dream for quite a while – and put it of. That is why I wanted her to "nail the deal" that we had just made. If not, she would probably wake up the next morning and put it of yet again.

"I would like you to show yourself that you are really going. Something that can't be undone once you have done it. Something that really proves to you that you are going. You can lie to me but you can't lie to yourself!" I gave her some thinking time and then asked: "What could you do?"

Lisbeth looked at me with frightened eyes and gathered her thoughts: "Then I would have to buy a oneway ticket to Mumbai now!"

Carrying out this decision took up the remaining ¾ of our conversation.

It is free to make plans. If you want to make to Gods laugh – you just have to tell them about your plans. The hard thing is "nailing the deal" as I call it. To make the deal binding is an art.

Finally she did it – on my VISA card! She had no money on her. (The things you do for your clients!)

Many people would rather have an extra meeting because the joy of putting it of is greater than the pain of making decisions – here and now! No matter which decisions you have to make in the year to come then do yourself a favour: Remember that if you DO NOT make the decision and take action HERE AND NOW you will have to go through the decision process once again – instead of getting it over with HERE AND NOW while you are already doing it. In other words: Finish your work.

Happy New Year!

/Martin