"You Can't Start a Fire Without a Spark".(Brief Article)

The world is full of cliches; they cover everything from personal emotions to business and economic rules. What I find so interesting is that they are all based on fact and seem to be true. One of my favorites is "you can't start a fire without a spark." Early man understood it; it was necessary for survival. Even Bruce Springsteen uses it in his song, Dancin' in the Dark. I believe that "sparks" are all around us and that the tricky part is to recognize their potential and importance. With sparks comes passion, and with passion comes your need to persevere. All is needed for success.

It's all about the fire in your heart--having a passion for what you do. Passion kindles a spark that inspires you and others around you to soar to greater heights. Passion is the critical ingredient for the perseverance needed to excel at any undertaking. Perseverance is especially important when obstacles emerge unexpectedly; when nothing is predictable. We all need perseverance in order to handle adversity and to bounce back from failure.

When you have a fire in your heart, nothing is too much trouble. Passion is contagious; it radiates to everyone and everything around you. Passion sets knowledge on fire; you need to keep your heart engaged to keep your brain at its best. Passion gives us the edge.

Looking back over the past year, I think that the creation of the Strategic Planning Task Force turned out to be a spark. The first--the passion--came quickly in the form of the initiatives that were developed. The need for perseverance is obvious. We can't allow ourselves to be drawn away from the primary focus. The primary focus of the strategic planning initiatives is to make the NACM organization--both locally and nationally--stronger, more vibrant. The stronger our organization is, the better it can service our professional needs.

Strong Affiliates will provide state-of-the-art services. State-of-the art services will support us professionally, whether it is in the form of credit group services, collection or credit reporting services: good services translate into better support for us--the credit professional and our businesses.

When we succeed at developing and implementing a strong public relations and membership marketing plan, (local Affiliate sales representatives will no longer have to ...