Dogs don’t wait at open gates…

We don’t have a gate at my home, but if we did, neither Captain Jack or Bella would be bound by it. An open gate to them means new adventures, new smells, and fun. All dogs are wired the same for this. Can you imagine a dog running up to a gate that is left far enough ajar for him to make a break for it, then pause, consider, and sit silently contemplating if the move has enough upside to run through it? I can’t either.

That’s exactly what many business professionals do on a daily basis. They see a wide open opportunity out beyond a “gate.” The opportunity looks promising and fun, yet it also involves risk. They make an initial sprint to the exit to get a better look, and then stop to pause and ponder. What if things go wrong? What if I get hurt? What if I get lost?

The problem is that while they sit and wait, opportunity at that moment is either lost forever or (worse) taken by someone else.

I’m pretty sure that if Captain Jack had an electric fence, he would know the ramifications of breaching that barrier. He’s smart that way. Based on my experience with him, he would take the pain to get the reward. The shock and pain is short-lived. The reward is forever…or until I track him down and he gets punished! But even then he would have gained through this new adventure and surely try again.

That’s part of the concept of being Unleashed. Don’t get caught inside the gate staring wistfully out at opportunity. Life is short and our professional careers even shorter. What’s out there waiting for you?

Copyright 2014 Dan Weedin. All rights reserved