Happy President’s Day!

It was probably the last thing you were thinking of, but surprisingly, President’s day has a whole lot of history behind it. As well as a little self-development lesson built in.

Originally, President’s day was declared to fall on George Washington’s birthday. But over time, Congress decided to place it on the third Monday of February in order to have a three-day weekend in the month.

Despite its change, George Washington was a insurmountable figure and did more in his life than most people could ever dream of.

And with today being a holiday, there’s a lot of people out there who take these kind of days to relax, kick back, and enjoy everything a three-day weekend has to offer.

Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with that, but if you’re in a career field where you’re constantly trying to get ahead of your competition, these days are vital.

Holidays, weekends, and birthdays, are the moments you can either choose to get ahead of your competition, or stay on pace with them.

President’s day being one of them.

And what makes this story more interesting is that even George Washington followed this rule:

On December 25th, 1776—Christmas Day—The American Revolution was on the verge of collapse. George Washington was the Commander in Chief and all around he saw soldiers deserting, starving, and walking around with low moral against the formidable British army.

Despite being Christmas day, Washington decided to take action. Knowing the British were celebrating Christmas by drinking and sleeping, he knew this was the perfect opportunity to get ahead.

So, that night, Washington organized his forces to craft boats and push across the ice-filled waters of the Delaware River. After crossing, his army proceeded to march for miles until they reached the British camp at dawn.

Caught off guard, the British quickly surrendered and became one of Washington’s much-needed victories that helped turn the tide of the war.

This story is a first-hand account of how you should always be willing to work on those off days. How you should remember that opportunity exists when others are too distracted to seize it.

So today, on President’s day, while your competition is taking it easy, use it as a chance to learn a new skill, make progress on your goals, and build that gap between you and the very person you’re trying to beat.

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading - I’m still in the middle of reading George Washington’s biography titled Washington: A Life by Ron Chernow. Hence, the Washington-oriented story today.

Quote Of The Week - “When you train, train as if you are the worst. When you compete, compete as if you are the best.” — Unknown