Have you ever done something so exciting that a scream or a yelp spontaneously erupts? That is what it is like when I have caught a fish with my hands. It’s tricky to try and catch a slippery trout with your hand. It requires calm, quiet, slow movements, and a lot of patience. When trout spawn they swim upstream and they tend to “rest” under the banks of a stream. Notice in the photo I am laying down next to a stream while slowly placing my arm and hand underwater. Mind you, the water is mountain cold so about every 5 minutes I have to remove my hand out of the stream to warm it up. This process may need to be repeated several times before you grab the fish. As I place my hand under the body of the trout, I use my fingers to lightly “tickle” the belly of the fish. This calms them and keeps them in place. Once I think I have a good handle on steadying the fish, I will slowly wrap my thumb on the spine and my hand underneath and grip hard to pull the trout out of the water. “SCREAM!” It is quite exhilarating.

How can this relate to your experience in business or working on a project? Think about those tasks or projects that are repetitive and there appears to be no progress or movement forward. It takes time and it may even be boring. Perhaps you are working on tasks that don’t excite you or you feel like no one is paying attention. Then suddenly there is a break through…a phone call from a client who finally accepts your offer, a visit from an outside executive that recognizes what you have been working toward, or your boss appreciating your tenacity and will to stay the course. “SCREAM!” Sometimes in the quietest, slowest and most methodical kinds of actions can lead to the most amazing results. Stick with it and stay the course.