In most instances, his thoughts, words, and actions are the same. Maybe this is why he is direct and blunt. He can be blunt because his thoughts, words, and actions are integrated, congruent, operating as one.
But one reason I’m successful is that I can cut through nonsense quickly and get to the core of things.
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. —Eleanor Roosevelt
Being true to yourself and your work is an asset. Remember that assets are worth protecting.
There is one thing stronger than all the armies of the world, and that is an idea whose time has come. —Victor Hugo
This can also happen without deliberately attempting to be innovative, so the other technique to employ—consciously and unconsciously—is to keep an open mind. That’s very important in business as well as in the creative arts. Don’t limit yourself to staid thinking because you want to excel in business.
I’m not advising you to dwell on the mysterious—a successful life requires common sense and hard work—but to be aware of things that are sometimes inexplicable because they can be a big step toward innovation. We don’t really create, but we assemble what has been created for us. Be a great assembler—no matter what your interests may be—and you’ll be on your way to inventiveness. A big mind requires a variety of thoughts and im-pulses to keep it well occupied, so make sure you keep your mind engaged in the best ways possible. It could very well be your calling card for success.
Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success. —Henry Ford
The beginning of every government starts with the education of our youth. —Pythagoras
Socrates is famed for having said, “There is only one thing I know, and that is I know nothing.”
Never think of learning as being a burden or studying as being boring. It may require some discipline, but it can be an adventure.
Learn to Think on Your Feet
A leader has the right to be beaten, but never the right to be surprised. —Napoleon Bonaparte
In other words, set a goal and work toward it. Athletes know that no one else can do the training for them, and business people should have the same discipline. You have to be self-reliant.
“A leader has the right to be beaten, but never the right to be surprised.” See yourself as a leader—starting right now. It will mean you are self-reliant, responsible, and not apt to being unnecessarily surprised by the vicissitudes of life, whether you are in business or not. Being prepared cannot be overestimated, and if you want to hit the big time running, you’d better be able to think on those feet of yours.
He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead; his eyes are closed. —Albert Einstein
See yourself as an organisation. Pay attention to every facet of your life. What’s strong? What’s weak? What’s missing? What can you do to make the big picture better? Whatever you do, don’t stagnate. Don’t become complacent. Don’t pretend that 50 percent is enough, whether you’re giving or receiving. Things move too quickly today to fall into that trap.
Give Your Higher Self a Chance
An achievement is a bondage. It obliges one to a higher achievement. —Albert Camus
Your higher self is in direct opposition to your comfort zone.
Sometimes our goals aren’t necessarily concrete. Sometimes it’s a feeling of something great that will happen, and so we’re open to it. That doesn’t mean we sit around waiting for something to just happen—very often it happens while we’re working away on something else. Being industrious can be a magnet for new ideas, while idleness and inertia can be magnets for negativity.
Life can be an adventure of the best sort if you will give your higher self a chance. We all have something unique to offer. Our work is to find out what that is and to work at it with a passion. So don’t tread water. Get out there and go for it.
Wisdom
Another way to gain wisdom is to read about the greats in history and those in your specific field of interest.
Imagine having many thousands or even millions of people affected by your actions and decisions, and you will have an inkling of the immense responsibility these people had. It can make our problems seem small in comparison, and it can enlarge our minds in order to comprehend a bigger picture of duty and competence.
Remember, you need knowledge and experience first. Wisdom will come provided you give it a chance to develop. First things first, and you will be pleased at what will follow. The achievement of wisdom will be all yours.
If you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday. —Pearl S. Buck
The background for success should include some intrinsic values as well as monetary values. We should be aware of our culture and other cultures, our history and their history, and we should not live in what has been termed “a cultural vacuum.” Someone once said that not knowing history was like being a leaf that didn’t know it was part of a tree.That’s an interesting visual and it applies to many people.We are individually responsible for our education, and that applies whether you’re in school or not.
Take my advice and never be a know-it-all. First of all, it’s impossible to know everything, and second of all, it’s just no fun—for you or anyone else. And third, you will be missing out on some great adventures. So remember to think big by expanding your horizons at the same time you’re expanding your net worth. That’s what significant success is about.
Think Like a Champion
Champions are focused. Champions are disciplined. Come to think of it, champions think like champions. As Jack Dempsey said, “A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.” Let’s hope that applies to you.
I’ve seen very talented people fail because deep down I think they were afraid of winning. Winning comes with a responsibility. Champions rise to that responsibility. Search yourself carefully to make sure you’re ready and capable. If you’re not, do something about it. It’s an important element of success.
Champions go the extra mile. We all know when we’ve done just enough and when we’ve really exerted ourselves. Make an effort to exert yourself—every day. Don’t fail because you never allowed yourself to get started! Don’t avoid success because you think the responsibility might be too much—just focus and get going! You’d be surprised at what intelligent effort can produce.
Art is a lie which makes us see the truth. —Pablo Picasso
In 2005, a Beethoven manuscript was discovered in a library, and he made so many changes and scratches on it that there were holes punctured through the pages in some places. This work was found to be done toward the end of his life, so he wasn’t a novice at writing music at that point. That’s just how he worked—he was a per-fectionist who wouldn’t settle for less than his best. He didn’t need to impress anyone—except himself. That’s a good way to be, whether you’re a businessperson or a musician. Compete with yourself to be the best you can be.
Building Connected Thoughts
I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. —Abraham Lincoln
Experience teaches only the teachable. —Aldous Huxley
Fear defeats more people than any other thing in the world. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
To ask the right question is already half the solution of a problem. —Carl Jung
Recently,an interviewer asked me what my greatest fears were. I said I didn’t have any. He seemed surprised, but this is how I see it: If you label something as a fear, then it creates fear when sometimes it’s not a fear but a concern. For example, I know just as well as everyone else that New York City experienced a major terrorist attack and the thought of that is a concern for all of us, because it affects all of us. It’s happened in many places, so it’s a worldwide concern. But if we let it become a firmly rooted fear, the terrorists will have won. The same applies to business. Do you fear owning a business? Translate that for yourself as asking: Are you concerned about owning a business yourself ? Why? What specifically are those concerns?
It’s much easier to break down a concern than it is a fear. Fear creates a block that will only hinder your creative thinking. Objectivity will remove that block and allow for creative ideas to flow. An antidote to fear is as simple as problem solving. Whether you have investing, estate planning, or running a business on your mind, or all of those things, they can be broken down into units of thought and dealt with in an orderly manner. It’s a bit like a jig-saw puzzle—you need to find the right place for each piece of the puzzle until the whole is apparent.
If responsibility comes naturally to you, or if you enjoy that challenge, owning your own business is a good fit.
There’s an old German proverb to the effect that “fear makes the wolf bigger than he is,” and that is true. But the opposite of fear is faith, which is one reason you’ve got to believe in yourself and see your- self as victorious.
I came back to become more successful than I ever was, and that’s why I believe business is very much about problem solving. If you can learn to deal with and solve problems, you will have a much bigger margin for success. Do not allow fear to settle into place in any part of your life. It is a defeating attitude and a negative emotion. Recognize and zap it immediately. Replace it with a problem-solving attitude, faith in yourself, and hard work. Put that formula into working order for yourself and you’ll be dealing from a position of power, not fear. That’s winning.
Make sure your foundation is there to begin with and then grow from there in your imagination. That’s how vision and transparency work together—and results can be remarkable.
Everyone who got where he is has had to begin where he was. —Robert Louis Stevenson
“making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.”
Keep It Short, Fast, and Direct
Whatever you’re doing, keep it short, fast, and direct. It’s also more polite. Most people don’t have time to waste.
Someone who analysed my negotiating technique said I had an advantage over most people because I had the ability to get to the point faster than anybody else.While they were still formulat-ing their sentences, I’d already written the book.
Simple as it sounds, there is great wisdom in the short, fast, and direct route. Knowing where you’re going in your conversation and demonstrating to others you know where you’re going by being concise, is a big step toward leadership and respect. Hone these skills in every situation and with every opportunity you have, whether you’re in line at the corner deli or in the boardroom on The Apprentice. Learn to economise. People appreciate brevity in today’s world.
Have the Right Mindset for the Job
Don’t find fault. Find a remedy.
Problems come with the territory, and they should never surprise you. You should expect them.
When I say have the right mindset, I am thinking about responsibility. People who take responsibility have no need to blame others or to be continually finding fault. These are the naysayers who never amount to much, and never manage to contribute much either. Don’t join their club.
I’ve been in business long enough now, and have had ups and downs, so I can go from seeing the problem to seeing the solution rather quickly. Don’t emphasise the problem so much— emphasise the solution. It’s a mindset that works, and it’s one way to accentuate the positive without being blind to the negative.
Mindset includes responsibility and focus. We all know how to turn on the television set. Be equally adept at turn-ing on your mind to matters at hand and you might surprise yourself by what you can accomplish.
Momentum Is Something You Have to Work at to Maintain
Find your own current and then go with it! Don’t allow for distractions. Do everything you can to maintain your energy flow.
Learn from Setbacks and Mistakes
That’s why I always ask myself, “Is this a blip, or is it a catastrophe?”—it gives me a point of reason in the midst of bad news.
Reason is also necessary, and when we experience setbacks and mistakes, that can be a good time to employ reason or objectivity. It also sets us up to learn something from the experience.
Your problems can be temporary if you keep your momentum moving forward. We all experience difficulties, but they can be blips if you remain positive and move on.
Rarely is anything worth doing just a breeze.
Problems, setbacks, mistakes, and losses are all a part of life. It’s something we have to accept. We shouldn’t be shocked if and when they happen. Don’t let things knock you off your feet or off your rocker either. Keep your equilibrium by knowing what you’re dealing with. If you are taken by surprise, then by all means, ask yourself what you’ve learned from the experience. Don’t just go out and make the same mistake again and hope for the best.
Tell People About Your Success
Your ego can serve to keep your momentum moving forward. It can keep you vibrant and productive. It can keep your focus where it should be, which is on your work. After a while, you won’t have to tell people about your success because they’ll already know about it.
If you can’t say great things about yourself, who do you think will? So don’t be afraid to toot your own horn when you’ve done something worth tooting about. Let’s end with another statement from Mark Twain: “I am opposed to million-aires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.”
I am more concerned with my money being returned than the return on my money. —Mark Twain
Wealth is the product of man’s capacity to think. —Ayn Rand
Due diligence means finding out the difference between opinions and facts.
Equities, emerging markets, asset management, commodities, mutual funds, hedge funds, annuities, stocks, bonds, and mortgages should be common knowledge by the time you are in high school.
Destiny
Very rarely does everything work out the way we hope or think it will.
When these things happen to you, whether they be big or small events, remember that your perception of their magnitude will play a big part in what you can reap from them.
I’ve waited twenty years to see some things happen, but it was worth the wait and I had to change course a few times until the pieces finally fell into place. Destiny has a part to play in your life and in your business—so give it a chance to work.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
The best achievers are those who are self-motivated, who are naturally curious, and who don’t need to be told what to do next. Strive to be that kind of person.
trying something new? They are excited, they are eager, and they wel-come the challenge. That’s an attitude to recapture or to try to emulate.
You have to cut your losses quickly. That’s a good thing to learn if you want to be successful
Michelangelo said something worth thinking about: “If people only knew how hard I work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.”
Keep the Big Picture in Mind
Sometimes people spend too much time focusing on problems instead of focusing on opportunities. You have to keep the big picture in mind even when minding the details or your vision could become micromanaged in an unnecessary way. I always try to keep two wavelengths going at once, which prevents brain cramps and reminds me that I’m destined for success. How do I know this destiny? Because like Thoreau, I believe we are born to succeed, not to fail. If I can believe it, you can believe it, too.
Second, you have to remain determined. If you have a big picture in mind, you will need a big determination to go with it. The old saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day” is an apt one.
“Never, never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.
That sounds tough—and it is—but never expect everything or everyone to be easy. To be blunt: We all have to watch out for ourselves. That includes you, and that includes me. It’s best not to trust people too much, because that’s just setting yourself up for some nasty surprises.
Winners See Problems as Just Another Way to Prove Themselves
It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. —Albert Einstein
I know people who see problems as a game to be won. I know people who see problems as burdens.
“It is a lesson which all history teaches wise men, to put trust in ideas, not circumstances.”That’s a good way of saying you need to focus on your goals, not your problems.
Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls. —Joseph Campbell
No person who is enthusiastic about his work has anything to fear from life. —Samuel Goldwyn
So do more, be more, give more and everyone will benefit.
It is a curious fact that people are never so trivial as when they take themselves seriously. —Oscar Wilde
Here’s my point: Don’t be afraid of taking chances. Go for having a good time, because in the process a lot of other people just might have a good time, too. My theory is: Take your work seriously, take yourself less seriously. It’s a great recipe for some good times and great memories.
You have to develop a thick skin, and keep your own positive wavelength going at all times. Be tough, be smart, be personable, but don’t take things personally. That’s good business.
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. —Albert Einstein
Great minds have purposes, others have wishes. —Washington Irving
Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. —Samuel Johnson
Back to the persistence issue. You have to be positive every single day.You have to put a daily effort into it, because believe me, no one else is going to help you with this. Most people think their lives will be easier if they have less competition.The fact that you believe in yourself could get in their way. Good. Get in their way!
Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way. —Aristotle
I remember when someone once told me that the clearest way to see people and events was to be nonjudgmental to just see and record the facts without colouring them with “this is right” or “this is wrong” or telegraphing the desired reaction to other people. It’s a journalistic approach.
“The mind that opens to a new idea never comes back to its original size.” I agree. Once you’ve learned to walk, why would you want to go back to crawling around?
I have my father’s four-step formula to thank for my economy when doing a job: Get in, get it done, get it done right, and get out. A question I would ask you to ask yourself to give you a jump start in thinking big is this: What is your creative capital? What do you have to offer? What have you acquired in your experience and in your studies that makes you valuable? Are you aware of your own potential? Will you be equipped to make a difference when the time comes for you to step forward? Start thinking along those lines and your worth will have already been multiplied.
Intuition is perception via the unconscious. —Carl Jung
Know Your Audience
Be sincere; be brief; be seated. —Franklin D. Roosevelt
A big key to winning is knowing where the other side is coming from. Whether you are involved in negotiations, a war, or in public speaking, this information can be invaluable. It’s also necessary if you hope to connect in any way with other people.
I can remember negotiating with someone I didn’t like very much, which put up an invisible wall between us, until I discovered he was an avid golfer like myself. We suddenly had something to talk about that we both enjoyed, and proceedings went better after that.
Realise that a lot of your experiences can be understood and appreciated by your audience because they’ve had them, too.
You also have to have the goods to hold your audience, no matter what the size may be. Performers prepare for every performance. That’s showmanship, and that’s life.
But you’ve got to spread your money around with numerous people, or at least three or four. You can’t have your well-being determined by one person. My CliffsNotes summary: There are no guarantees but there are precautions. Do not let your guard down. Focus on the positives—but don’t forget about the pirates.
The first great lesson is that of humility. No matter how good you are, when arrogance raises its ugly head, Mother Nature will put you back into your box. Mastery of a wave involves being attuned to all the circumstances surrounding you. It is not about domination—it is actually about submission. The currents, the riptides, the swell, the wind, the reefs, the temperature, the crowds, the shapes are changing every second. The quest, then, is not to stabilise the wave and make each one exactly alike and predictable by all, but rather to perfect your own adaptability to an ever-changing situation and make it through to the other end.
You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do. —Henry Ford
“responsible, professional, and loyal.” If you can build your reputation on three words, those would be three at the top to choose from.
Diligence is the mother of good luck. —Benjamin Franklin
If the indications are there, put in the extra effort to make something good even better, or bigger, or both.That’s thinking big, and I’m no stranger to that concept and you shouldn’t be either. I’ve had enough success to know that it works.
Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that. —Norman Vincent Peale
Getting rich isn’t always simple. I have and will always continue to emphasise the importance of loving what you do first. If your goal is just to make money, you are short changing yourself. You might also run out of energy while you’re trying to make that money. Passion is an incredible source of fuel that can get you through the tough spells that are bound to come up. So the first step in preparing to become rich is to find something that you absolutely love doing.
Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work.
Make an effort to make your working environment as pleasant and effective as possible. It’s not impossible—my organisation proves that it’s not impossible. Just set the example, and you’ll be a magnet for the right people. That’s the best way to work with people you like.
Integrity is the essence of everything successful. —Richard Buckminster Fuller
Our actions and words will eventually point us toward having a reputation for having integrity or not having integrity. I’ve been around long enough to know how valuable a commodity candour can be. As a businessperson, it’s a strength that can see you through everything. Another important skill is negotiation. I receive many requests asking me about my negotiation skills, and there’s a balance to successful negotiation that many people fail to see. The best negotiation is when both sides win. There’s a compromise involved, which means careful listening, and when that is achieved you’ll see results that work.
The United States cannot be iso-lationist. We may be the superpower, but what that really means is that we have more responsibility. Our position requires us to be more alert, more careful, and more empathetic than ever. Power is at its best when it’s used in the most compassionate way possible.
Keeping that in mind will guarantee that you are in your best form for competition. Even if you are currently the top gun, pretend that you are the underdog. It will improve your insight as well as your vision.
I mention intrinsic value because as a businessman, it’s something that gives integrity and even mystery to everyday business. Not everything is dollars and cents, although in many cases it has to be. Look for the gray areas—it will enhance your life as well as your business sense.