Each week I share memorable and uplifting stories of remarkable people accomplishing extraordinary things with simple acts of self-mastery. By subscribing, you can also get a free digital copy of my book, Hard Work Is Not Enough.
Doubt Is The Price of Legacy
Step off the train in Cologne, Germany, and you're met with people from all over the world moving in every direction.
Leave the station, and you will see a Gothic cathedral so grand you can barely take a picture of it.
The Cologne Cathedral was completed in 1880. In its lifetime, the massive Gothic structure has survived weather, plagues, and multiple world wars.
Construction began on the Cathedral in 1248 when the life expectancy was 48 years old.
It would take over 632 years to complete.
The people who started the project knew it wouldn't be completed in their grandchildren's lifetime.
Can't you imagine somewhere early in the project, say the first 150 years, one a stone mason leaning over to the next and asking, "Is this really worth it?"
No one could answer that question for another 450 years.
Most things worth doing take longer than our minds are willing to give them before we begin to doubt whether it's worth it.
Everyone who has built a company, written a book, made a career, or impacted someone else wondered if they were wasting their time.
But, Doubt is the price of legacy.
How you feel in the moment isn't a good measure of meaning and impact. Only time can tell.
You can't guarantee success, but you can be worthy of it if you keep going.
That's what I kept telling myself during the editing and publishing process for Lead Engaging Meetings.
My inner critic kept telling me it was a waste of time because who wants to read a book about meetings? Is there anything worse?
But when I opened the box and thumbed through a copy of the book, I knew for sure it was worth it.
I'm really proud of it and think you will find it helpful in making the meetings you lead more engaging and productive.
You can get your copy on Amazon.
If you enjoyed this, please consider forwarding it to someone else who might.
If this was forwarded to you, subscribe here.
Hi! I'm Jeff Shannon!
Each week I share memorable and uplifting stories of remarkable people accomplishing extraordinary things with simple acts of self-mastery. By subscribing, you can also get a free digital copy of my book, Hard Work Is Not Enough.
How wealthy is Buffet without the sixty-year partnership with Munger? How brilliant is CoCo Chanel without the inspiration and support of Misia Sert? What is a Taco Supreme without a Doritos shell? The partnership is so perfect it might seem like an obvious winner from the start. But for years, Taco Bell and Frito Lays talked about a crunchy shelled taco dusted with the sweet nectar of Doritos yet never figured out how to make it work. That is until food scientist Steve Gomez became obsessed...
In college, I played disc golf nearly every day with my buddies. I thought I was pretty good at it. When a friend suggested we sign up for a tournament on our course, I felt pretty confident I could win. There was a group of folks I’d never seen on the course when I arrived. They had twenty specialty disks when I only had two. They warmed up and talked about strategy. I finished my McDonald’s breakfast burritos and did a few arm circles. These folks came to play, and I began to wonder what I...
A dropped water bottle sent Lawson Craddock careening off the road and into a spectator. Craddock, the EF Education First - Drapac rider, rode over the bottle on stage one of the 2018 Tour de France. The crash resulted in a fractured scapula and a bruised and bloodied face. Lawson Craddock after crash in Stage 1 of the 2018 Tour De France. It isn’t going to be easy. Reporters surrounded Craddock at the end of the stage. They wanted to know if he would withdraw from the 21-stage, 2,082-mile...