Are you ready?

I mean, REALLY ready?

I ask for this reason: Yesterday a woman called my office and started a conversation about what she wanted to sell and had the unfortunate luck of getting the very person who might just buy on the phone. WELL, what happened next is probably best described as coming to a dance without the right shoes or maybe getting to the field without your shin guards--I dunno.

Anyway, it all went by in a blur; when told she had 30 seconds to make an impression, she balked. Big time. She started meandering through her past work history and other things that had nothing to do with what she wanted to sell. I felt bad for her, sight unseen. I really did. I pictured her working hard to keep the smile in her voice, probably using lots of hand gestures to pump the words out faster and faster to no avail. When she was given significantly  MORE than 30 seconds ("You have my ear. Tell me why I should buy from you.You called me to sell, so sell"), it still didn't happen. Perhaps she really should be in the solitude of a chemistry lab or a C.P.A., cuz from what I heard, she couldn't sell steak to a starving man.

It kind of makes you wonder though: how many of us are so convinced that we won't get anywhere near our objective that we don't even make the most basic preparations in the event we do? In other words, how many of us are angling for that point right where average and mediocre meet up, happy maybe if we just make it? And for heaven's sake, why?

Given the choice between failure and mediocrity, the former is far more exciting. To fail, you have to at least tried, whereas mediocrity is the fruit of persistent do-nothingness. To not be ready when called, to not have your gear oiled, to not know what to say when asked for a 30-second summary, to grossly underestimate yourself and your competition.

This is not the day nor the hour for any of that, no matter what our field. It's time to be nothing but ready.