The Best Advice I Ever Received

Back about four years ago I walked out
of my job with a major magazine, and
wasn't exactly sure what I was going to
do. The only thing I knew for sure was
that I wasn't going to let any of the many
fools at the magazine determine what I
was going to get paid anymore.

I was the top salesman there, and they
wanted to cut my pay, and give some of
my accounts to other people. Does any
of this sound familiar? They wanted to
spread things around, and help the
salespeople in the office who didn't work
half as hard as I did. So the owner of the
magazine that likes to see himself a big
conservative was really a closeted Obama
man. He wanted to redistribute my income,
and I told him where he could stuff that.

(The moon doesn't shine there.)

The next morning I went to a local breakfast
joint, and sketched out a business plan on
a napkin. I called a mentor of mine, and ran
it by him. He said, "It's all just a dream until
you take action."

The next day I found some office space,
bought some used office furniture, and
had phone lines put in. The following Monday
I went to work with a list of telephone numbers,
and my laptop.

I would make calls all day, and into the night.
My day usually started at 9 AM EST, and
ended at about 9 PM EST. Somedays I was so
tired I didn't make it home, and went to sleep
on the couch in the office. Things were slow
in the beginning, but I made enough to keep
the doors open.

Then one day I landed a big contract, and
things started looking up. Then I landed
another, and another.

But my mentor was right. Nothing happens
without action, and there are many dreams
sketched on napkins, notebooks, legal pads,
and computers. They are still dreams or
business plans, and will stay that way until
someone takes action to make them become
real.

There are many people who talk a good
game, but they never get off the fence. They
just sit there, waiting for something, hoping
that good things will just happen. It doesn't
work that way.

If you want the good things in life you have
to do something. You have to get up off the
couch and start moving, taking action to make
the mental picture a reality.

Otherwise, as the Chinese say, "Just talk."

From the big saddle,

Jim Whelan
The Chairman of the Board

P.S. I tried to get a ticket for the World Series
in Tampa. Seats behind homeplate were going
for 6 large, and they were selling. Somebody
must have some money.

thejamesrwhelanagency.com
206 407 3124