The POWER of the POUNCE

I remember being asked once what I regretted about my past, and thinking of obvious things that maybe I SHOULD regret… things I’d done and shouldn’t have  and also things I didn’t do and should have.  You know, the usual stuff.  But, what I said was this,

I know there are things I’d do differently if given the chance, but regret?  NO. Everything in my past has created who I am now.

But when I REALLY consider that question, I realize the things that I “regret” most are the times when opportunity stared me in the face and I hesitated long enough to miss it entirely… Ideas I failed to act on.

(Like this one:  My initials -before I was married – were BMW and I was in pageants – which required me to secure sponsors.  And I won a pageant for my state.  So, I thought, “What if I asked the BMW dealership to “sponsor” me with a BMW?  I would get a license plate that said, “BMW’s BMW”.  I thought it was a pretty cool idea! I did nothing with it, but to this day I think I could have convinced them to give me a car. =)

A small little thing, but something I wish I had at least tried. In business, far too many ‘treps are sitting on incredible ideas without acting on them.  Ideas for partnerships that just might work brilliantly… ideas for products that could be the “next big thing”… ideas for a potential client that you simply never contact… And WHY?  Why do we hesitate?  Why don’t we POUNCE on ideas and opportunities like these?

I don’t know the definitive answer for all of us, but I know for me it was simply wondering, “is it worth the effort?”  “Would this even have a chance of working?”  And thinking it was a pipe dream, I simply didn’t act.  But I’ve since learned the TRUE Power of the POUNCE – and, trust me on this one,  it is astounding.

The truth is that if you’re not willing to POUNCE on whatever idea or opportunity is in your head or in your face, nothing will change for you.  Mediocrity will abound, and you’ll miss out on MOST of what this entrepreneurial journey could offer you.  Now, I’m unwilling NOT to pounce, but I learned that fully leveraging the power of the pounce depended on a few things from me:

1. I had to be willing to end up with egg on my face. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.  If I wanted unreasonable results, I had to be willing to do / try what others wouldn’t.  I had to be a renegade in my field… to not “fit in”… to  walk, talk and act differently than others and keep my head up regardless of the degree of failure OR success I experienced.
2. I learned to jump in feet first, not knowing whether the “opportunity pool” would be too shallow to fully embrace me or so deep I’d have to swim my way to the surface.   Either way, I learned to feel that anticipation and excitement others call FEAR and jump anyway. Thanks DAD! !
3. I developed a thick skin and a sense of self that  is unable to be penetrated. I am now almost completely immune to criticism – almost. =)  This is not about being cocky or over-confident…. It is about defending and protecting  what is yours…. including your ideas, confidence, and ability to keep going with gusto.  Thanks MOM!!
4. I created a core business philosophy that guides my POUNCE: A million and one people may tell me NO – but damn if I’m going to do it for them. Regardless of my perceived chances, I’ll pounce.  And nine times out of ten, I’m surprised by how well things work out.  Because most others don’t pounce.  Others may talk, offer, suggest, discuss, brainstorm, wait, watch, or consider, but not POUNCE.

Enough about what I needed to do / believe  to pounce! What about YOU? What would it take for YOU to develop a POUNCING mentality?