Feeling like you are not doing enough to get noticed and appreciated for the things you do? Thinking about what you need to do in order to get the attention of people who decide the future of your career or personal life?
Just remember, that to move to the top, you don’t have to be a brown-noser. Rudoph wasn’t. And look what it got him!
We all remember the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, right? (You’re singing the song in your head right now, I can hear it….)
Rudolph initially lived a tough life. He was different than the others. He had a red nose. All the other reindeer had brown noses. As the story goes, the other reindeer made fun of and laughed at Rudolph. Does this happen to you? If so, you can learn from the story – because Rudolph didn’t let this push him down. He kept going, even with adversity. He went about his day and focused on what he could do and what he was delivering.
The story goes on to tell us that the brown nosing reindeer excluded him from their reindeer games, making him an outcast, and treating him different from the others. In so many circles, those who are patting themselves on the back and self bragging are getting the most attention initially. But it’s not always strength and victory that wins in the end – but instead consistency, resiliency, and dedication. Rudolph ignored the name calling and the “better than you” attitudes of the other reindeer. He didn’t get lost in the race to be Santa’s favorite reindeer, fighting to move to the front of the line against the other average brown nosers. He stayed consistent. He did his job, and in the end, Santa picked him out of the crowd to be the leader among all of the others.
My challenge to you today is to stop worrying about the others. Stop looking around and comparing yourself to the best that others can do. Stop complaining that others are getting opportunities that you are missing out on. Stop complaining that others are moving up in their careers and goals and you’re not moving. Because if you do this, you will eventually get lost in the crowd and drowned in the abyss of averageness. Focus on what you can do, focus on your goals, focus on what you do great, focus on making sure you are proactive, growing every day, moving closer to where you want to be…. and the day will come that you will be rewarded for this.
Let’s start a new phrase and make it viral. “Red-Noser!”. I would much rather be a red-noser than a brown-noser. Wouldn’t you? Let’s do our part to change the world, building a society where we focus on what we do great and how we can make things better, and end our focus on how well we can impress those who might be able to give us what we want.
Red-nosers Unite!
