Pilgrims and Indians…What They had That we can Still Learn from Today
November 25th, 2008 // 10:38 am @ Scott Manning
First, a disclaimer: I’m not real up on my history, so pardon any incorrect information you may sight; however, you can profit from my correlation and the following comments if you so wish…
Now, back to my story about Pilgrims and Indians…
Last Sunday I attended the first of two Thanksgiving dinners with extended family and it got me thinking about this Holiday and what it means, and really, where it came from.
First, I think this – all around us we are drowning in news, thoughts, people, etc. who focus on “the lack” of ‘everything’. I do it too. I think most often about all the things I haven’t accomplished or the goals where I’ve fallen short of and on and on…You do it too. We are all drawn towards this; and it puts the brakes on our progress, out wealth mindset, and our ability to creatively produce and make productive advances on our initiatives.
This Holiday, this season, and this Thursday on Thanksgiving we can all be reminded of the ALL that we do have, all that we can and should be thankful for! We give our loved ones extra solid hugs and words of appreciation and we can even give ourselves a pat on the back.
Certainly the list of things for which we can be thankful is long and something else that is also long is the list of those who have far less…so, while you should continue to fight and aggressively compete to win this game of Business and life of Entrepreneurship…take a few moments out to sit back, take it all in, and give a big sigh of relief for being so well off, and sincere appreciation to those who may often go without being told how very much they mean to you!
Just like we always talk about, people don’t buy from “businesses” they buy from PEOPLE. Success, and LIFE, isn’t made up of ‘things’ or ‘transactions’ or even ‘experiences’ in and of themselves. Success and LIFE is made up of PEOPLE –
Which brings me to lessons we should appreciate and learn from, from–those lessons brought to us on “The First Thanksgiving” by the Pilgrims and Indians!
Resourcefulness and”using all the pieces of the pig”…
I often remember what Dan Kennedy says about using all the pieces of the pig. He talks about taking advantage of all the opportunities your business allows you and exploiting all parts of marketing, sales letters, and products and services. This saying would be taken to a greater degree with the Pilgrims and Indians. Obviously, those people didn’t believe in WASTE because they had limited resources as it was.
So they learned to make their own stuff and use nature – more importantly, they used what they had to get what they wanted.
What in your business is going to waste? What problems and challenges do you encounter and what resourceful ways have you tried to solve them instead of just accepting them?
Leverage and Expertise, relying on others and exploit opportunities…
If you think back to the “pioneer days” everyone didn’t do everything. Each person had a role and focused on that. Sure in business people aren’t always in a position to delegate or outsource everything – but the main point here is the old saying of “not reinventing the wheel.” Go to the people who know what you need to find out. Nothing is really new. Everything has already been done before you and I began to do it.
Ask yourself what opportunities you are not taking advantage of. What are you trying to learn on your own when you could leverage other people?
Cooperation with people, circumstances, and environments…
Lots stood in the way of these people, but they let nothing keep them from moving forward. They learned to adapt and adjust…just like we need to do right now. They realized the circumstances they faced and the environment they were in.Those things weren’t going to change so the people had to adapt to the situation that existed.
Obviously the Pilgrims and Indians didn’t co-exist successfully in the beginning, but it would’ve been better had if cooperation would have existed right from the start.
Who and What are you fighting against when you could be working together to achieve a bigger result?
Lemons into Lemonade and making the best of a bad situation…
Pretty easy to paint the picture on this one. When it rained on the cabins and the roads grew muddy, I assure you they weren’t complaining–they were dealing with it. They went ahead with living life and moving on. Rain meant a shower from nature, time to wash the clothes.
What is it that you find frustrating and should do something about? What is it you find yourself complaining about? What is taking energy from you and your productivity that you need to turn into something positive—or just get over it?
Persistence, because only the strong survive…
The best for last. I remember playing the “Oregon Trail” computer game when I was a kid and being so surprised when someone would just ‘drop dead.’ Most of you probably know of the game, so I won’t tell you about it. None-the-less, you had to persist through it all, through an endless array of misfortune and uncontrollable things that would occur.
See that’s where we’ve come so far–because we in fact can control most of our actual ‘life;’ although, like in the computer game, no one can escape life’s misfortunes; and–still unchanged from the days of the “First Thanksgiving”–if you want to accomplish anything and live very long in the world of business you have to accept the rule…only the strong survive.
Here’s my advice spoken through the daily habits of those who gave us reason to celebrate our thankfulness for all life has to offer…
They “hunted and gathered” every day out of necessity. In many cases that’s what sets us back. We don’t live with the necessity they did. Today, most people are just content with the status quo, living to die, and just getting by. They needed it, you’ve got to want it.
Throughout your next year, “hunt and gather” for your business. Aggressively seek out the ‘big game’ track ‘em until you conquer ‘em, hunt for success and achieve your goals. Relentlessly seek out and gather information, the tools and resources you need, get in and stay in our group because it’s the Oregon Trail to riches!
Embrace these lessons as you venture forward in the game of business and through the life of the Entrepreneur. Your life in business is not much different from the days of old but we have far more to be thankful for. We should take for granted that Success and Riches, just like dinner at the First Thanksgiving, only comes to those who go out and get it, create it, and earn it for themselves
Category : Blog
