Sure, But What Have You Done *Lately*?

You ever get the feeling some people are desperately holding on to the successes of the past?

This past weekend I went bowling. Don’t ask me my score, it’s embarrassing and a bit of a sore spot. Let’s just say that if you added together the scores from the two games I bowled, the total would still be less than my personal best. This was not a banner night in the old “Motivational Smart Ass Athletic Pantheon.” Not that such a thing exists…

In any case, the bowling alley we were at is quite the Philly hotspot, and we were told that we had a two hour wait. Fortunately for us, this bowling alley had a bar (don’t they all?).

We sit down at the bar, and notice that while most beers are $4-5, Pabst Blue Ribbon (PBR to the faithful) was on special for only $2 a pint. I know what you’re thinking: It may be only $2, but it’s PBR; it can’t be that special.

True dat, but with two hours to kill, drinking $2 beers sounded like a good idea. And yes, I concede the possibility that my bad bowling night may have been due to drinking PBRs for two hours beforehand.

Here’s the thing though: have you ever read the label on a can of PBR? If not, here’s what it says:

Did you catch that? Selected as America’s Best in 1893?!?!

For those weak in math, that’s 116 years ago!

This is still on the can?? Have they won nothing since then to be proud of? (Ok, I drank Pabst all night; I am not all that surprised that they haven’t won anything since). They can’t update the can?

Maybe they are being ironic. Or perhaps there is a large body of people who prefer the ales from the times of yore. Or maybe they lost the Photoshop image that they use for the cans and can’t update the text anymore. I don’t know, you explain it to me.

Clearly, Pabst is hanging on to some of the old glory days. But how about you? Are you pinning your current and future success on great achievements from the days of yore? Or are you raising the bar in your personal and professional life?

This is not to say that your life has to be all about achievement and success. But if you have a business, are you still displaying nothing but your “Best Of…” award from 1985 or are you working to win another one? If you won “Employee of the Year” ten years ago, are you now resting on your laurels? You may have knocked your spouse’s socks off when you first met, but is that the last great memory he or she has of you showing your affection?

It’s unfortunate, but there’s only so long you can ride the wave of one victory, award, or great performance. The basketball season starts again, they do the Oscar’s again next year, and today’s hero becomes tomorrow’s footnote. Achieving brilliance is one thing; if you want to stay there you need to raise the bar. For me, that could simply mean not whining about the 197 I bowled eight years ago every time I bowl a sub-one-hundred game.

So let me ask, what is it for you? What have you done lately?

About

By Avish Parashar. As the world's only Motivational Improviser, Avish uses techniques from the world of improv comedy to engage, entertain, and educate audiences on ideas around change, creativity, and motivation. Connect with Avish on Google+

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