Why is it that I find so many witty and profound things to blog about during the day when I'm out driving or working, but when I'm on the computer I'm too lazy or forgetful to write about them. There have been SO many quoteworthy pieces in my Chesterton book, but it's out in the car and I'm too lazy to go get it. I suppose you'll have to make do with this one from Hume:

I must confess, that there is a strange supineness, from long custom, creeped into all ranks of men, with regard to public debts, not unlike what divines so vehemently complain of with regard to their religious doctrines.

Last night I happened upon a captivating book title: Hope is not a Strategy. It was a book about sales in complex environments. I read, I suppose, a quarter of the book, and the thesis seemed to be that one must, to maximise sales effectiveness, think critically about a great host of potential problems and opportunities. Sales is not just a matter of learning your stuff and throwing it out there. It's about talking to the right people, in the right way and at the right time. It's also about being aware of competitors, of existing and potential clients, about political situations, about relationships and many other things.


It seems to me that many of these things apply to ay form of business, or many other aspects of life. If you really want improvement, hope really isn't a strategy. Thoroughness is a strategy. Gregariousness is a strategy. Kindness and gentleness and forcefulness and inquisitiveness and learning from others who are in similar situations and developing relationships are all stategies. Something to ponder.