How much can one person do?

When we talk about leadership, management, bettering our lives, and taking action, some people begin to ask:

“What can I do? I am just one person!”

Taking action with positive energy, as we can learn by watching the movie “The Secret”, or reading the book, can have a significant impact on every single person we interact with.

Have you ever noticed that those individuals who are typically positive, optimistic, and smiling are often surrounded by others, get asked a lot of questions, and their opinions have impact.

We have a tendency to worry about the future and what might happen to us, what we end up with or get tomorrow, and not very much about what we can do to create a better future for ourselves and others.

Books and movies like “The Secret” and “Pass it On” make an attempt to change this perception. In our society, we are taught from the beginning of our early school days that we are not in charge and that the teacher or professor is the authority we have to follow. I am not saying that is not something we should do, but the habit of waiting for others to tell us what to do and in general obey what others want and tell us, develops us into individuals who loose trust, positive energy, and the urge to take action.

The commercial side of everyday business has intruded into our life to take care of another aspect. That’s what I call ‘Instant Gratification”. Everything has to happen immediately and show immediate results. This leads to the fact that some people are working hard to provide us with toys, tools, and system that create the effect of instant gratification. Even when we are sick, we don’t look for the source of our pain. We get instant gratification by popping a pill  and hope everything will be better in minutes.

Taken together these two issues:

1. Over-obedience leading to lack of positive energy and action
2. Instant gratification for everything, leading to lack of patience and covering up the sources of our symptoms

ultimately lead to lack of success. I encourage you to avoid obedience and begin to interpret the rules, so you can make informed decisions in line with your goals. Take positive action and be patient if the results don’t show up in minutes. When you lead others, tell them as much as you can about the vision and the goals, and then help them through the process of change. Don’t forget:

Real change to the point of becoming a cultural habit takes 3-5 years.

I hope you can take me up on these suggestions and you will be amazed how much your changed behavior will change your life and the life of others around you. You will become the source of positive energy and smiles that everybody wants to be around and ask for advice.

Axel Meierhoefer, President AMC LLC