Last Saturday I attended our quarterly National Speakers Association Meeting.  While there, I had the pleasure of running into the person who originally directed me to this association seven years ago – the year I started this business.  It’s been seven years since I’ve since this person, so I was grateful to see him and expressed my gratitude for having pointed me in this career enhancing direction.  He exclaimed, “It’s rare to give someone a recommendation and then have them actually follow through – even when it’s a great idea”.  This is so true – millions of people are running around, attending training classes, listening to videos (instead of reading books), and asking for advice.  Numbers are generally down, and people’s lives  are a mess.  Yet, few ever take the counsel they receive, regardless of how wise it is.  Instead we wallow in our own failure, whining about misfortune and hard times.  Success requires putting past failures and trials behind us, noting the lessons learned, and forging ahead with wise counsel surrounding us as we take each step.  Who are your counselors and are you considering their ideas?