Professional Performers Don’t Require Immediate Compensation

Professional Performers Don’t Require Immediate Compensation

 “Did you think you could have the good without the evil? Did you think you could have the joy without the sorrow?” – David Grayson, professor and author

Most people are fully engaged in microwave thinking – a deep belief that compensation should immediately follow any effort. Champions are different. They believe every effort performed with good intentions yields some form of compensation at some point. People become champions by perfecting their competencies until other people label them ‘champion.’ In most cases, this label took years of hard work and sacrifice to achieve, with little or no apparent compensation along the way.

Many of the great ones were ridiculed and criticized for investing so many hours in the development of their core competency. Not swayed by amateur opinion, they pushed forward aggressively. This delayed gratification set the stage for all future battle plans for achievement in the minds of champions. When professional performers set a big goal, they are expecting a fight – and their past experience has preconditioned their minds for battle.

 When amateurs expect compensation, pros are just settling in for the fight. Their willingness to delay gratification and compensation makes them more valuable in the marketplace.

 ACTION STEP FOR TODAY
Ask this critical thinking question: “Am I more interested in pleasure, or gratification?” Amateurs focus on pleasure-based activities that deliver short and sweet payoffs. Professionals focus on gratification-based activities that take longer to achieve but deliver long and deep payoffs. Into which category do you fall?