Looking For Community Silver ? Then This is Where You Want to Be
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 1936 COMMUNITY CORONATION ONE LARGE Serving SPOON  US $9.95
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 4 pcs Oneida Community LADY HAMILTON Grille Knife US $18.99
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 Oneida community par plate Monroe Mohawk silver 17pc US $36.00
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 ONEIDA COMMUNITY SILVER MASTER BUTTER KNIFE 1916 MODJESKA Pattern 7 1 2 Long US $6.99
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 1915 Oneida BRIDAL WREATH Butter Server Nice US $7.00
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 CAKE SERVER PERLE STERLING SILVER MINERVE US $92.79
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 Vintage Tudor Silverplate oneida Community Cup US $19.99
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 6 SMALL TEA SPOONS ONEIDA COMMUNITY US $5.87
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 Community plate Grosvenor silver pie forks 1921 monogrammed US $135.00
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 Oneida Community Tudor Plate Queen Bess II Serving Spoon US $10.00
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 COMMUNITY PLATE PATRICIAN Large Berry Casserole Spoon US $39.99
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 Community Plate 1914 PATRICIAN Pickle Fork 6 3 8 US $9.99
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 1 Community South Seas Silverplate Dinner Fork 1950s US $7.99
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 ANTIQUE Silver Plated Cream Ladle Oneida Community– Bridal Rose Pattern 1911 US $20.00
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 Wallace Silver Plate Bowl US $13.99
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 Old Lot of 4 S P Luncheon Forks PATRICIAN 1914 US $14.99
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 Community Affection Table Serving Spoon US $5.95
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 ONEIDA Tudor Plate BARBARA GLAMOUR 1931 Flatware with ORIGINAL CASE US $9.99
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 Henley Community Silver Plated Tea Set US $224.99
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 Vintage Community LADY HAMILTON 9 Silver Tea Spoons US $22.99
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 Vintage Community LADY HAMILTON 7 Silver Plate Dinner Knives US $18.99
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 4 vintage silver plated silverware pieces US $9.95
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 Antique Silver Salad Serving Fork BERKELEY Rogers 1929 US $5.99
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 Antique Silver Table Serving Spoon Pair MORNING STAR Community 1948 US $12.99
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Victors Do the Work, and Forget the Silver Bullets
Victors know success comes from doing the work. And that belief is even more important in tough times.
At a time when resources have to be carefully committed, and when the need to focus on getting the really important things done is crucial, the temptation to look for silver bullets is greater than ever. And there are plenty of pitchmen out there ready to sell their product of hope - and quick fixes.
I was reminded of that watching a commercial directed toward parents with relationship problems with their children. The sales pitch promises that, as a result of buying their program, parent's relationships with their children can be turned around and become positive within a day of starting the program. I'm sure the program has appeal for millions of parents with child relationship problems, and that millions of dollars are spent on this "silver bullet" - this promise of hope in overcoming a long standing and long developing problem within a short time - and with little effort. And when that program doesn't work - right away - the people who bought it feel victimized, and discouraged, and certainly poorer for the purchase.
There are lots of silver bullets that offer hope of short term, spectacular results. It's what silver bullets do best. Lose weight, increase intelligence, get six pack abs, grow hair, get your kids to love you, become more attractive - you name it, there's a silver bullet out there.
All silver bullets deal in hope - an essential ingredient to any solution. But, paraphrasing Benjamin Franklin, " If hope is what you dine on, you'll go to bed hungry."
Victors know hope is essential in the process of success, but they know you gotta do the work. So they're not fooled by the appeals to get the quick fix.
At the same time, victors realize many of these pitches and products have nuggets of truth that can help achieve success - but not within the expectation level of the sales pitch. Every book I have read, without exception, has value in it, but the real learning comes from applying the ideas gained from each of those books.
Victors know the value is in the action - in the doing. An article in Wooden Boat magazine about an Algerian boat builder who came to a workshop in the US to help him develop a maritime museum in Algeria illustrates the value of action. He is a master boatbuilder - has spent his whole life building boats. His English is not good, but he is very enthusiastic about all that he is learning - and all that he is teaching at the same time. His challenges are the result of difficulty in communicating in English - but he says, "as soon as the tool is picked up and the work starts, the learning and results begin."
Victors know doing the work is the only way to real learning and accomplishment - and success. At the beginning of Chapter 16 of Og Mandino's wonderful book titled "The Greatest Salesman In The World" is the following paragraph: " Never has there been a map, however carefully executed to detail and scale, which carried its owner over even one inch of ground." A map - a blueprint leading to a goal - are wonderful tools, but the voyage always starts with a single step - the work itself.
So that first step, then another, then another, are the key to doing the work and succeeding. Time spent looking for, being tempted by, or working on silver bullets takes away from doing the work.
In today's economic environment it's tempting to look for shortcuts to getting ahead, to surviving, to get rid of the pressure, to making progress. It's important to believe there are no shortcuts - that perspiration creates inspiration, and time and energy spent trying to get around doing the work is a waste of time.
So be a victor, not a victim. Do the work and leave the "wishin and hopin and prayin" to others. You'll be more successful for it.
About the Author
Andy Cox helps his clients select and develop teams and talent. He focuses on helping leaders and emerging leaders define and develop their skills and talents using goals. He can be reached at http://www.coxconsultgroup.com , or at acox@coxconsultgroup.com