http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOqxSaW05p4
I watched this video a while ago and I was absolutely awestruck. The flexibility, strength and beauty of these performers can make anyone feel out of shape! (Especially those of us who keep meaning to get into an exercise routine…work always seems to get in the way! 
But, what struck me even more was the dedication that it takes to be able to perform at this level. And, how many other ballet dancers there are in the world that work extremely hard, but would never reach this level and can only watch, dream, and keep trying. In one fell swoop, this video was one of the most inspirational and frustrating things to watch. It is inspirational knowing that when you work hard (ridiculously hard) you can achieve greatness. But it also made me frustrated, thinking about all of the other dancers that work every day of their lives to be like the performers in this video and will never make it.
Then, I started thinking about how that relates to business (yes, almost everything can be brought back around to business). Think about how much time, energy and effort goes into your business. But, just like those who watch and dream about being these dancers, there is always going to be someone better than you. Even if you put every ounce of your effort in, there is always going to be someone able to put in more time, more money, or have more natural talent. This is obviously a frustrating reality to accept, but I feel that it gives us a motivation to continue to work harder.
Now, it’s Friday, so I would NEVER think to leave a post on a bad note, so here’s the silver lining: Just because there is someone out there that is considered the ‘best’ doesn’t mean your effort is worth any less. Yes, these dancers are some of the best (if not the best) in their field, but there are also hundreds of other dance companies that are successful doing the same thing. For us, this means that just because there are thousands of marketing companies that are successful, doesn’t make us any less successful, it just gives us something to strive for.
My suggestion? Pick someone that you think is better than you at something that you want to be better at and ask them how they got there. No one knows better how to succeed than someone who has succeeded.
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