Years Of Layering

We stumbled upon a little mom and pop cooking store... the type of store where they have all sorts of special olive oils, sauces, cookware, gadgets, aprons, pot holders, you know, the type of store you need to visit multiple times because you could never actually see all of the products they have since there are thousands packed into a 1000 square foot maze of amazement.

Clearly, the person working behind the counter was the owner. You know an owner when you see one.  Actually, you can feel it. I approached the fella and stated, "This is an impressive store, your inventory is absolutely incredible." The owner sort of chuckled at me and said, "You know what the secret is?" I was immediately intrigued with this response. As a connoisseur of experience, intelligence, and courage I was dangling on these next words and like a starving dog needing a meal. "Years of layering." "To try and do this all at once is impossible for a store like this. You have to acquire products over time, shift them around, know what works and what time of the year, rotate, get more, get rid of others, and continuously be adding to your arsenal of goods for your customers. You're never done and you can never stop learning."

In Star Wars, when going to lightspeed, Han hits the throttle and all of the stars begin to blend into rays of light to represent how fast the Millennium Falcon is about to go. Yeah, that's what happened when listening to this guy. He summed up his 25 years of experience into two sentences for a stranger perusing his crafty salt and pepper shakers.

Now, ask yourself this, "Are you expecting too much too soon from your training?" Better yet, "Are you expecting too much too soon from your career? From your friendship/relationship?" Do you see how these concepts are all interchangeable? Just because you hired a coach DOES NOT mean you're going to win your age-group in 2022, or finish in the top 100 for that matter. We're all on a journey here, and for some of us it feels like an odyssey but not one of us can quit.

I think about this with DelMoSports/PRO. I've been in this game this 2003. I have literally given my life to it. And do you know what? I feel like things are really going to begin to click...next year. Yup, I've felt like that for probably the last 5-6 years. I never feel like I am owed anything or that I know everything or that I've arrived. Never.

I often think of that fella sitting behind the counter. I bet there's not one single person who walks in and knows the real story, the hardships, or the risks. I know one thing though, when we go back, and we will go back, he will have had another few years of layering and his store will be that much better, and so will we.