Values Quotes – Jonathan Winters on Eagerness

Today’s quote is from Jonathan Winters, the famous American comedian, actor, and artist.

One of the many great quotes from Winters is:
“I couldn’t wait for success… so I went ahead without it.”

That’s great advice for anyone feeling impatient about achieving their goals. I believe Winters understood the value of eagerness.

As a differentiating value, eagerness means excited by the desire of the pursuit; or prompt willingness.

By most standards, Winters is very successful, having appeared in nearly 50 movies and several TV shows during his lengthy career. But it wasn’t just handed to him on a silver platter.

While it appears he possessed certain natural talents, he worked hard at perfecting his craft.

What Winters possessed was the eagerness to become a great comedian and actor. He was willing to move from one opportunity to the next, forcing him to keep his material fresh.

So what about you?

Do you have an important goal you are pursuing? How excited are you by the desire of the pursuit?

If you’re feeling impatient that things aren’t happening fast enough, maybe the problem is the waiting. Maybe the problem is the expectation for something to happen – that might not happen until YOU take action.

I encourage you to embrace the value of eagerness, like Winters did, and be excited by the pursuit itself.

 

Today’s value was selected from the “Enthusiasm-Teamwork” category, based on the e-book Developing Your Differentiating Values.