By Rob Jenkins 3 success secrets I learned from my dad Weve all heard the old saying, Aim for the sun and land among the stars. That analogy might not be astronomically accurate, but most of us get the gist: strive for excellence and, even if you dont quite get there, you will still have succeeded. Obviously, in my quest for the sun, I landed somewhere among the stars. But thats OK. Its been a heckuva flight. Ive gotten to do pretty much what I wanted to do in life, and that has given me a great deal of satisfaction. Any modest success Ive had, though, I owe to three things my dad taught me: Start where you are The secret to getting started on any endeavor is to start. Quit making excuses or waiting for just the right time. With apologies to Nike, just do it. I remember a conversation I once had with a friend who wanted to be a medical doctor but was afraid to take the plunge. Im 35 years old, he told me. If I start medical school right now, it will probably take me 10 years to become a practicing physician. By then Ill be 45. True, I said. But if you dont start medical school right now, in 10 years youll be 45 anyway and you still wont be a doctor. He went to medical school. Use what you have My middle son always dreamed of being a high school basketball star and he used to bug me all the time to take him to the gym. I did whenever I could, but Im a busy guy, and gym time is hard to come by. Then I noticed that if he wasnt at the gym, he wasnt doing anything. Son, I told him, youve got everything you need to become a better player. Youve got a ball. Youve got a decent goal and a relatively flat driveway. Youve got a quiet suburban street for running wind sprints. Quit worrying about what you dont have and start using what you do have. He took my advice and went on to become team captain and leading scorer his senior year and made the county all-star team. Do what you can I always wanted to be a writer. But, I went many years without writing anything. Then I realized, in my late 30s, that if I was ever going to write Id better get started. At the time, I had a very demanding job and four young children. But I mapped out a book, resolved to set aside one hour a day, and started writing. I was amazed at how fast the pages piled up — and that manuscript eventually became Family Man: The Art of Surviving Domestic Tranquility, which is doing pretty well, thank you. Im grateful to my dad for teaching me those simple principles of success. And the best thing is, theyll work for anyone — anytime, anyplace.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 12:58:56 +0000
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