It’s easy to get in a comfort zone. Actually, it is quite normal to get in a comfort zone and stay there.
Talk to the IBM board of directors back in the 70’s and 80’s. Big Blue was comfortable and they almost lost all their marbles because of it.
For any business to survive, you must constantly evolve. If you are a small business, it’s even tougher to see the turn you need to make because the windshield is so fogged up with 70-90 hour work weeks, family members griping, and things that just don’t seem to go your way.
When I was a teenager, I can remember bussing tables for $3.85 an hour. It wasn’t exactly a career job but it was either that or not graduate on time. See, I was what you might call a -terrible- student. After failing 7th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, 10th grade, and 11th grade, I pretty much expected to be in summer school my Senior year too.
I’m not sure what happened or how it happened, but some how when I showed up for work, I was in a different world. The Sr. Bus Boy I trained with taught me the ropes and from that point forward, I was a different man. All of a sudden I went from terrible student to Mr A Type personality on steroids.
During the gold rush era, people were flocking into California like there was no tomorrow. They were hoping to dig deep enough to hit a massive vein of gold and they would never have to work again. All they had to do it move to California, buy their tools and start digging!
Behind the scenes: When there was rumors of gold being spread, a shrewd business man went around and bought all the mining equipment for lower than normal because he was buying so many.
Hype: ‘There’s gold in them thar hills!”
