Photo by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

Legend has it that early in their careers, both Bruce Springsteen and Jerry Seinfeld had situations when they found themselves snowed in to a town when on tour.

Their fans couldn’t get to the venue and they couldn’t leave, so they each could have been excused for taking the night off and not performing.

But that wasn’t an option for them.

Despite only performing for the staff of the venue, they each gave it their best, tearing it up and performing as if they had a full house.

They each understood an important principle.

They were compelled to do their best because they recognised that every chance they had to perform was a chance to further hone their craft.

They knew that whether they were performing for 5 or 5,000 people, their audience deserved the best they could give.

Sometimes, we’re faced with a similar dilemma.

Perhaps you’re speaking to a small group of people. 

Perhaps you’re making a sales pitch to a small client.

Perhaps the report that you’re writing is for someone further down the corporate ladder than usual.

Don’t sell yourself or them short.

Take it as an opportunity to get better at what you do and treat your listeners with respect.

Do your best for every audience.

Springsteen and Seinfeld went on to become superstars in their chosen fields of endeavour.

They didn’t just get there because of their talent and ability to connect with audiences.

They got there because they took advantage of every chance to develop, grow and improve.

Now let’s go and do the same.

Previous post – Labour Day Musings

Next post – 10 Steps to Improving at Anything