“If you have a great ambition, take as big a step as possible in the direction of fulfilling it. The step may only be a tiny one, but trust that it may be the largest one possible for now.”
Mildred Helen McAfee Horton (1900 – 1994), American academic, first director of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in the United States Navy.
One of the great paradoxes of wanting a perfect system for keeping in touch with your contacts is that it can keep you from taking the most basic steps toward building rapport. If you wait until your technology, message, and follow-up system is “perfect on paper,” you’ll never get down to the simple business of staying in touch and marketing your services.
Today’s tech-savvy society makes us increasingly aware that sophisticated, complex solutions are out there to help us organize ourselves and communicate with others. In a way, this awareness has taken our eye off the ball: At times we seem to feel the possibility of keeping in touch via email, text, social media, email, and mobile device is the same as actually keeping in touch in a meaningful way.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
We urge you, in the tradition of Mildred Horton, not to stand still before the face of your great ambition. Perform one small, imperfect action today in the direction of your ambition. It will be far more productive than you could ever imagine.
