I am lying on a beach in Tunisia. This morning I spoke for three hours at a conference and now I'm relaxing with a cool beer in my hand and the warm sun playing on my cheeks. Must remember to bring a cozzie next time. It really is the most perfect day. The beer, the food, and the fluffy beach towel are all supplied courtesy of the four-star hotel which, in turn, is paid for by the client.
This is the life. Who wouldn't want to be in my flip-flops right now? Everything I need to enjoy myself is right here. Wonderful.
But I'm alone. I'm on this lovely beach with the lovely sand and the lovely fluffy towel but without any of my lovely family. And I realise that I'm experiencing something that has to be shared to be truly enjoyed.
The idea that you can escape the monotony and drudgery of everyday life and just lie on a beach and be happy is just that - a lovely idea.
The reality is that it's also one of life's great myths. (If, indeed, a myth can also be a reality.) If you do manage to escape the grind of daily life you also avoid its challenges. And it's overcoming those challenges that really provide the satisfaction.
Because if we don't have challenge, then by definition we get boredom. What goes up must come down. The tide goes in, the tide goes out. There's no yin without yang, no zig without zag, no smoke without fire. This last one isn't strictly true, I just threw it in to make sure you were concentrating. Remember, happiness is the journey not the destination. So buy a valid ticket.
Myth number two is that if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. Nice try, whoever made that one up, but also incorrect. That's because everything is either growing or in decline.
So if you keep doing what you've always done, you won't get the same result, you'll actually get less. The world is changing all around us and, despite what Wet Wet Wet might say, love doesn't always accompany it. We have to keep up with change just to stand still. So the more you put in, the more you get out. Do less, and you'll get less.
Just time for myth number three. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. OK, so what about your car, your house or even your body? They may not be broken, but over time they decline, decay and suffer from disease unless you maintain them.
And that's exactly what you've got to do in business with your client relationships. Nurture them. Don't leave them to lie alone on a beach, however fluffy the towel.
Philip Hesketh is a professional speaker on The Psychology of Persuasion and the author of Life's A Game So Fix The Odds.
This is the life. Who wouldn't want to be in my flip-flops right now? Everything I need to enjoy myself is right here. Wonderful.
But I'm alone. I'm on this lovely beach with the lovely sand and the lovely fluffy towel but without any of my lovely family. And I realise that I'm experiencing something that has to be shared to be truly enjoyed.
The idea that you can escape the monotony and drudgery of everyday life and just lie on a beach and be happy is just that - a lovely idea.
The reality is that it's also one of life's great myths. (If, indeed, a myth can also be a reality.) If you do manage to escape the grind of daily life you also avoid its challenges. And it's overcoming those challenges that really provide the satisfaction.
Because if we don't have challenge, then by definition we get boredom. What goes up must come down. The tide goes in, the tide goes out. There's no yin without yang, no zig without zag, no smoke without fire. This last one isn't strictly true, I just threw it in to make sure you were concentrating. Remember, happiness is the journey not the destination. So buy a valid ticket.
Myth number two is that if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. Nice try, whoever made that one up, but also incorrect. That's because everything is either growing or in decline.
So if you keep doing what you've always done, you won't get the same result, you'll actually get less. The world is changing all around us and, despite what Wet Wet Wet might say, love doesn't always accompany it. We have to keep up with change just to stand still. So the more you put in, the more you get out. Do less, and you'll get less.
Just time for myth number three. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. OK, so what about your car, your house or even your body? They may not be broken, but over time they decline, decay and suffer from disease unless you maintain them.
And that's exactly what you've got to do in business with your client relationships. Nurture them. Don't leave them to lie alone on a beach, however fluffy the towel.
Philip Hesketh is a professional speaker on The Psychology of Persuasion and the author of Life's A Game So Fix The Odds.
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