Welcome your competition

I was proud of Tiger Woods and disappointed in the PGA.
Tiger was in a duel Sunday at the World Championship in Ohio.
Professional tournament golf has to be a pressure cooker.
Not only money but your reputation is at stake with every stroke.
A PGA official tried to hurry the players in their final shots.
This rattled his competitor, Padraig Harrington. He hurried his shots.
That was a disastrous decision. Padraig fell four strokes behind.
Tiger remained calm. He won $1.4 million. Yes, $1.4 million.
He then complained about the official — but not for himself.
He thought it was wrong to hurry Padraig Harrington.
Tiger welcomed the competition. He knew it made him better.
He wanted his competition to have a fair chance to win.
The PGA fined him. They should have given him a medal.
You’re probably not the only lawyer, doctor or shoe store in town.
You’ve got competition and maybe it’s — shudder — Wal-Mart.
Welcome the competition. That’s right. Welcome it.
Competition will make you better. You’ll try harder.
‘Jerry, are you nuts,’ you’re thinking. ‘Wal-Mart can eat my lunch.’
Wal-Mart might eat your lunch, if you let them.
Find ways to compete. Find your niche. Out-perform Wal-Mart.
It’s the only way to develop loyal clients who love you.
Lack of competition may make you smug, lazy, arrogant.
If you’re the only game in town, I’ll bet you aren’t competitive.
I’ll bet you aren’t customer focused. I’ll bet you’re self-satisfied.
Competition makes our country the best in the world.
Be the leader. Make your competition work harder.
Believe me, you’ll both be better for it.
For more on leadership and competing, please click here.

Discover your life’s purpose

Did you know what you wanted to become when you were 11?
Erik Dommers does. He wants to be a paleontologist.
In case you don’t know, paleontologists study prehistoric life.
Will Finkelstein does, too. He wants to write comedy for TV.
Just watching people will give him plenty of material.
Jess Catoe, who’s 15, is already a web site designer.
She has created four sites, logos, business cards and brochures.
Her current passion is to fly an F16 jet.
These young people are students at the Barclay School.
Gillian Barclay-Smith, the founder, invited me to speak to them.
They sat on the floor in the Sherlock Holmes Room.
My creaky knees were given the honor of the couch.
We talked about Sherlock Holmes and the man who created him.
We talked about writing, journalism and some of my adventures.
It’s refreshing to see young people who know their purpose.
I hope you have already found yours.
If not, keep looking. You’ll find it.
For help finding yours, please click here.
Watch the video about the book and make a comment.
Just click on "comment" below.