Go Big Mac or Go Home!

Legendary franchisee Jim Delligatti passed away this past Tuesday.  Never heard of him?  Well, does the following jingle mean anything to you?

“Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, on a sesame seed bun!”

That’s right.  Jim Delligatti is widely credited with inventing the Big Mac!  As much of a no-brainer as that delicious creation is today, it took a Herculean effort to bring the Big Mac to life.  In 1968, McDonald’s was content to ride out their simple formula for hamburgers, cheeseburgers and French Fries.  Profits were steady and management did not want to lose focus by concentrating on “new items”.  So when Mr. Delligatti, tried to spice things up by introducing an even bigger hamburger with “special” sauce, it fell on deaf ears.  Why go with something else when the original menu was working so well?  But he was passionate about his new masterpiece and refused to back down.  Jim Delligatti rolled out the “Big Mac” to his handful of franchises.  They sold like hotcakes (so to speak!)  Within six months, McDonald’s recognized the power of this new burger and introduced it worldwide.  The Big Mac became a classic piece of Americana and catapulted McDonald’s to record profits and legendary corporate status.

Think what have happened if Jim Delligatti had backed off his conviction and settled for the status quo.  And think what would happen to us if we constantly settled for the status quo in our work and personal lives!

In our work lives, things might be just fine.  We might be meeting our sales numbers.  We might have a cordial relationship with our clients.  Our business might be in the black.  We might be connecting on some level with our students and players.  That is great and far better than the alternative.  But we can’t relax and settle for the status quo!  New technologies might threaten our business.  New competition could impact our sales numbers next year.  A key client might need some extra attention and hand-holding.  A student or player may be performing now but there could be stumbling blocks on the horizon.  We cannot rest on our laurels!   We must always be striving to reach our true potential.  We must always be innovating.  We must always challenge ourselves to do more.  If we stay active and focused in the good times, the great times will be right around the corner!  Why settle for a hamburger when we could have a Big Mac?

The same is true in our personal lives.  Our relationships might be satisfactory.  We might have saved just enough for a rainy day.  We might be feeling generally healthy.  Fantastic.  But the landscape can change quickly.  When it does, the status quo might not cut it.  We need to work hard (and it is hard work!) to take our relationships from satisfactory to passionate!  We need to constantly be mindful of future expenses and keep socking away the money.  We cannot let ourselves become sedentary and soft after working so hard to get in shape.  There is always more we can do!  That next revolutionary change is out there ready to take our lives to the next level.  Will we be ready?  Of course!  Who deserves it more than us?

But let’s face it, things are not always going to go as planned.  Sometimes, the status quo would be an upgrade!  When we hit a rough patch in our business or personal life, it can feel as if the losing streak will never end.  Perhaps this is our true state of being?  Perhaps we were never destined for greatness?  Perhaps we should settle for this negative pattern?  Snap out of it!!  It is during these times that we must fight the hardest!  It is during these times that we can NEVER settle.  There is no such thing as a born loser.  There is no such thing as a permanent defeat.  There are only bumps in the road on the way to our resilient future!

There is no passion to be found in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. –Nelson Mandela

Our world is constantly shifting and we need to stay vigilant to ensure we are keeping up with the changing times.  Hanging on to the status quo may work during stormy times.  Take shelter and hunker down.  But eventually, we need to clear our minds, stay positive and focus on the future.  Once we are headed in the right direction, there is no need to settle for anything less than extraordinary!  Jim Delligatti would have been fine if he had listened to upper management and backed off his dream.  McDonald’s would have survived without the Big Mac.  But the world would have been deprived of a little slice of creative immensity.

We were not put on this earth to settle.  We were put here to maximize our potential.  Go Big Mac or go home!

Until next week, keep smiling!