Four-Star General Colin Powell relayed the following nugget of wisdom to his troops:
Be careful what you choose: You may get it.
It’s an interesting and haunting piece of advice. Too often I hear people lament the fact that “if only x, y and z would happen”; that if they could just get this one cheque; this one additional feature; this one partnership with company z, this one thing from their boss — then the world would be different.
Tell you what: That might be true. But you better be prepared to act upon it when it happens. As it just might. And the best way to make it happen is — to act as if you would have it already.
Don’t ask for permission. Don’t wait for the feature to be ready. Don’t wait for the partnership to materialize. And don’t wait for your boss to give you “the thing”. Instead: Act as if you would have chosen already.