Did Does Not Equal Do

Leadership

Years ago, my dog, Louie, and I used to love going on a run together. For the first few years, he was hard to keep up with and seemed like he could go forever, always looking back saying, "Come on, dude, let's go!" As he got a little older, he slowed down a bit. At first, I thought he just felt bad for me and was being merciful, but then I realized he was getting tired and he couldn't run like he used to. Now, we shifted to short walks as running isn't in the cards anymore. He lost the capability.

Growing up, I played a lot of golf. I loved it, our local course was basically free for students, and I got pretty decent for a bit. Then college, kids, and this crazy thing called a job got in the way, and well, now I play a few times a year and celebrate if I hit a decent shot and don't lose all my balls in the woods. The skills just aren't there anymore.

There were years in our industry when business fell like manna from heaven, and things were only hard because there was too much of it. Everyone thought they were a top producer, and every leader thought they were Rockefeller, Ford, or Gates. That just isn't the case anymore.

Past achievements are not equal to current capabilities.

"Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more." (Proverbs 9:9)

Just because you have accumulated a little wisdom doesn't mean you should stop learning. Times change, cycles hit, and age catches up to us all. In my mid-fifties, I can't work out like I did in my mid-twenties, but I can still work out; I just have to learn how to do it differently.

Where in your life do you need to stop resting on yesterday and learn to act within the reality of today? What business practices and strategies provided gold a few years ago, but today, just a little coal? What skills need redeveloping because you kept your clubs in the bag a little too long?

And boys, just because you got the girl, doesn't mean you stop pursuing her. Past achievements are certainly not equal to current capabilities when it comes to relationships (the mirror will tell you that truth). Think about your faith. Somebody sprinkling some water on your head as a kid doesn't put you in an active relationship with God. That takes work in the present.

Just because you did, doesn't mean you can do. Operate in the reality of today. There are great things to accomplish, you just may need to keep learning how. Did does not equal do.