starting out

[James Grebe]

This post is directed toward Robert in St. Joseph, MO and others who may be
in similar circumstances.  This a piece that I published in my newsletter
after presenting it in a program for our Associates in our St. Louis Chapter
PTG a few years ago.

    There are three quotes I would like to give you that can give you
success in this or any other field of endeavor.

1.  "When the student is ready, the teacher appears"
    When you have done all your groundwork that you have to do to devote
yourself fully to the pursuit of learning this profession; when you put all
else out of your mind that may derail or distract you and you have made your
decision to throw yourself completely into this one direction, you will find
your teacher.  It may be a person, an organization like the PTG, or it may
be books.  If you are ready, this opportunity WILL take place.

2. '" Luck is what happens when preparation intersects with opportunity"
    It doesn't do any good to have doors open for you if you are not ready
to go through them first.  If you have not got your skills learned yet, it
is better to wait till they are before you go across the threshold.  If you
cross over before your skills are good you risk getting a not-so-good
reputation before you really begin.

  Your name is remembered long after you do an unsatisfactory job for a
client and you cash their check and you probably will never have another
chance of rectifying yourself  to that client.  Concentrate on learning your
skill as fully as you can and getting confidence in your ability so that
when the opportunity comes you will have prepared yourself for the success
that follows.

3.  "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer"
    This saying has been around so long that we have perverted its' meaning.
Success and riches can be had by following a set of rules and guidelines
that will work every time.  If a person follows these rules in the proper
order, success comes naturally, as well as riches.  Most of the time a
person in any field will stand out among the others by just doing exactly
what you were hired to do.  Most workers seem to have a problem doing this
simple thing but success can be as simple as this.  If you follow the rules
of success, which can be found in any motivational book, and applying your
skills you have learned and are in the right path to move forward, your
"richness' begins to accumulate.  It may be a large client base, it may be a
good reputation for your peers, and your competition, to reckon with, and
certainly monetarily money comes to you, not so much as you pursue it but it
comes as a natural result of you doing your job in a professional manner.
    The poor get poorer simply because they are not following the rules of
making whatever their work is, excellent every time they do it.  Do not
depend on others or the government.  Depend on yourself and what you can do
that makes you valuable to society.  The money follows naturally.



James Grebe
R.P.T. of the P.T.G
pianoman@inlink.com
Creator of Handsome Hardwood Caster Cups and Practical Piano Peripherals in
St. Louis, MO