An easy leadership lesson to preach is perseverance...the act of not quitting and enduring to success. This is, indeed, a great lesson. The need for intestinal fortitude to complete a goal has ensured many great things have been accomplished. There is, however, a type of person that scares me more than a quitter. Worse than a quitter is a non-starter. I believe it takes twice as much courage, tenacity, and determination to begin something worthy of pursuit than it does to endure a task.
A non-starter doesn’t have the luxury of quitting. Can you imagine the things that we wouldn’t have if people were non-starters? The list would be infinite. Perhaps no power, no internet, no phone, and even in that caveman era, no wheels! All leaders should have a starter mindset. A leader should also challenge, head-on, the non-starter mindset.
All too often I run into people who are hesitant to begin working toward their goals. Have you ever heard, “…now is not the right time,” or “…it’s too complicated?” My personal favorite (least favorite really) is “…it is too hard.” Isn’t that the point? The hard things are the things worth doing, and they are worth doing now!
Perhaps you have been thinking about a project, contemplating making a difference, or have concerns that have been building.Practice the stoic virtue of “momento mori,” which considers that you can leave life right now, so make the most of it. Don’t be worse than a quitter by being a non-starter. Begin today. The world is waiting on you, not the other way around.
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