Questioning Yourself...

"Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these: it might have been."
- Shakespeare

"If you find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere."
- Franklin Clark

I spent several days early this week at the American Booksellers Association Convention in Chicago. It was a fabulous time! I learned many things about the book business, some things about the convention business and much about myself.

The Convention itself was great: free books, authors signing, famous people walking around (ok, I saw Newt Gingrich), thousands of people proving that free enterprise works. I saw glitz and simplicity. I saw gourmet coffee and children's puzzles. I saw people hard selling. I saw people barely selling at all.

Before I went, I mentioned to a number of people that I was going, and some didn't really understand why. This is fine, because I'm sure I didn't give them a very clear description of my reasons. The main reason I went was to help recapture some enthusiasm and to help me see my future more clearly. This trip gave me a chance to think about what I want to do, how I can best serve my Customers, my family, and myself.

Did or does my future involve books in some way? As a publisher? Seller? Author? All of these questions were in mind when I left, and they are still there, still not completely answered. My vision of the future isn't completely clear now, but it is coming closer into focus, thanks to a Convention, 1800 exhibitors, thousands of people and the City of Chicago.

You might be asking, "What does this Book Convention stuff have to do with me?" We all need to step back and ask ourselves these questions about our future. What is it that you want from your life? How can you best serve yourself, your family, and your Customers? What would allow you to make your life extraordinary? Maybe you have asked yourselves these questions before, as I have. If you haven't please do! If you have, my advice is ask yourself again. Find a place or time soon to begin that internal dialogue again. For me it started at a Book Convention. I don't know where it will be for you, but please find it, please do it... for yourself.

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About the Author

Kevin Eikenberry is a speaker, trainer, author, and President of the Discian Group ( discian.com a learning consulting company. He authors a monthly article on learning from life's events called Vantagepoints. If you liked this article, you can read more or subscribe for free at http://vantagepoints.net.

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