Marketing Lessons from Grandad: Lesson #2. You can sleep all your life…

When you’re dead, but now get up!  My parents used to say that to me in the not-so-wee hours of the morning when there were things to be done that I would have rather slept through.  I learned after my grandfather passed away that his mother had said the same to him. That was kind of amusing to me seeing as how Grandad was an early riser since he was 4 years old. Grandad got things done!

He grew up on a ranch in Colorado in the 1930’s, and everyone had a job to do.  At 4 years old, Grandad’s job was to get up at 4:30am and make sure the firewood bin for the wood-burning stove in the kitchen was filled from the woodpile outside so that his mother could cook breakfast for the ranch hands and the family.  It was a small chore but one that left an impression on him and on me.

In later years he would continue that habit of getting up early so that he could exercise and read before heading to the office.  Reminds me of an article I read about What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast.

But early morning is not the point.  The lesson Grandad taught me is that if there is work to be done, now is the time to do it!  What do you want to accomplish?  Go for it!  Waiting around, taking a nap, sleeping in – that might feel safer, it might seem more comfortable, but you’re only cheating yourself (and maybe your customers).  Now is the only time you’ve got, and there is no time to waste, especially when it comes to marketing.  Whether you start your day in the early morning hours or finish it then, make the most of it right now.

Sure a little R&R can be good, even deserved, but don’t make it an excuse for failing to get the most important things done when they need to be done.  Get to work and leave it all on the table – you can sleep all your life when you’re dead!

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