This last week has been an interesting one, I am currently juggling a few balls and spinning a few plates at the same time and feel like a performing seal at the circus. There is a lot to do within the company, we are working on the Book Launch, we are re-launching the website, preparing the new courses for our new term in September. We are about to launch a crowdfunding campaign (more about that soon) and the normal running of the company and publishing the articles on the Code. That does not include my consulting business or the fact that I cooked, with my mother, for 200 people at the weekend for a fundraising event for my mother. Phew, even writing that sounds like a great deal.
The reason I am telling you all this is not about showing you how busy I am, but to give you a frame of reference for my point this week, which is about the requirements for success both in business and in life. Building this, or indeed any company, and building a Gentleman have similar journeys. These are both journeys that take preparation, acquisition of skills, focus, time and perseverance.
Most people find the journey hard. They find excuses not to complete the journey, such as ‘I’m too tired’ or ‘It’s too far’. Or they find distractions along the way and head off to another shiny object or see what they think is a better destination and change direction. Or when they need to learn a skill to move on towards their destination, they find another reason not to do it and so on.
I remember watching a video on YouTube called ‘Will Smith’s Wisdom’ – there are a lot of gems of inspiration in this video, but one of my favourites is the tale of ‘laying bricks’ at about 3 minutes in. The tale is that Will’s father knocked down a wall and asked his young sons (12 &9) to rebuild it. They thought it was impossible, but, as Will says, it’s not about aiming to build the wall, it is about laying one brick as perfectly as you can and then moving onto the next brick. If you keep doing it then eventually you will have a wall.
The same is true for the Journey to becoming a gentleman. You need to focus on building each brick; adding skills along the way, from style to grooming and from culture to fitness. The biggest difference is that journey for a gentleman is a life long one.
Now, you may find it hard, you may get distracted, you may get lost, but with every great journey it is about finding the courage and the perseverance to carry on.
Finally, as we always say here at PGHQ, the Perfect Gentleman is not the Destination, it is always about the journey to get there. We are merely the guides on that journey, making it easier to find your way and lay that perfect brick along the road.
Yours Respectfully,
#1PG
