February 25
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I once saw a street performer outside Faneuil Hall in Boston. His thing was pogo stick stunts.
The problem was, he was clearly disappointed about performing on a weekday.
A reasonable crowd had formed. Around 30 or so people.
But, he wouldn't start the show. Instead, he made small talk with jabs at the establishment for scheduling him on a weekday instead of Saturday.
Trying to be funny, he would say, "Can we all clap for no reason at all?" He was hoping to bring in a bigger crowd with phantom applause. It didn't really work.
He would do a couple of tricks here and there that were quite incredible. But after a few minutes, he would stop and come back to the "Why isn't this crowd bigger?" schtick.
Then, without much warning, it started to rain. The performer had to inform the crowd that he couldn't perform safely on the slick surface.
Finally somewhat embarrassed at having not performed for the crowd that did show, he still invited people to leave a donation.
Nobody did.
Everyone lost. The audience didn't get to see a show. The performer didn't perform.
And, the performer missed out an opportunity to astound 30 people so well they might tell their friends about it.
The moral of the story?
If there is even one person who is listening, is interested, or cares about your work, they deserve your best. Whether you are a musician, a teacher, a lawyer, or a CEO.
That is what being a professional is.
The alternative is being stuck in the rain. And that's no fun for anyone.
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