Many of readers are celebrating religious holidays this
week. For Christians, Easter is the holiest day of the year,
while for our Jewish readers, Passover began yesterday. To
all of you, we send prayers for a peaceful and joyous
observance.
Last week, I marveled how often people seem to find
religious differences sufficient reason to denigrate their
neighbors and treat them badly. I've never understood that
and it appalls me. I loved the many emails from Subscribers
who agreed with or supported my comments. Thank you.
Last week I also suggested that it is up to each of us to
"do the best we can." This week, I read David Nasaw's new
biography of Joseph Kennedy, the patriarch of the Kennedy
clan. It's excellent! (I highly recommend Nasaw's
biographies of Andrew Carnegie and William Randolph Hearst,
as well.) Kennedy was no angel and, by modern standards, he
was a scoundrel.
But he was a worker! Despite his many strengths and great
weaknesses, what impressed me was his incredible work
ethic. I think we often forget that success generally comes
to those who work the hardest. As a young man, he committed
to working hard so that his children wouldn't have to. He
often slept at the office. He travelled for business back
when travel was difficult. He took risks. When he failed,
he learned from his mistakes and re-doubled his effort.
He was ambitious, determined and focused on his goals. He
rose early and worked late into the night. While millions
of us struggle to provide for our families, I think as a
culture we are somewhat spoiled. We want success to come
quickly, and we want to be reasonably comfortable until it
arrives. Kennedy's work ethic reminds us that, "Success is
usually the result of hard, hard work."
One question I often ask my clients is, "What absolutely,
positively must get done by five o'clock Friday afternoon?"
Whatever action-step will move you forward, write it down
and get it done this week! Make sure you are in a better
place next Friday than you are today. Then celebrate your
progress with me! Send an email and let me know. Failure
may stand alone, but success has many friends. Let's celebrate!
week. For Christians, Easter is the holiest day of the year,
while for our Jewish readers, Passover began yesterday. To
all of you, we send prayers for a peaceful and joyous
observance.
Last week, I marveled how often people seem to find
religious differences sufficient reason to denigrate their
neighbors and treat them badly. I've never understood that
and it appalls me. I loved the many emails from Subscribers
who agreed with or supported my comments. Thank you.
Last week I also suggested that it is up to each of us to
"do the best we can." This week, I read David Nasaw's new
biography of Joseph Kennedy, the patriarch of the Kennedy
clan. It's excellent! (I highly recommend Nasaw's
biographies of Andrew Carnegie and William Randolph Hearst,
as well.) Kennedy was no angel and, by modern standards, he
was a scoundrel.
But he was a worker! Despite his many strengths and great
weaknesses, what impressed me was his incredible work
ethic. I think we often forget that success generally comes
to those who work the hardest. As a young man, he committed
to working hard so that his children wouldn't have to. He
often slept at the office. He travelled for business back
when travel was difficult. He took risks. When he failed,
he learned from his mistakes and re-doubled his effort.
He was ambitious, determined and focused on his goals. He
rose early and worked late into the night. While millions
of us struggle to provide for our families, I think as a
culture we are somewhat spoiled. We want success to come
quickly, and we want to be reasonably comfortable until it
arrives. Kennedy's work ethic reminds us that, "Success is
usually the result of hard, hard work."
One question I often ask my clients is, "What absolutely,
positively must get done by five o'clock Friday afternoon?"
Whatever action-step will move you forward, write it down
and get it done this week! Make sure you are in a better
place next Friday than you are today. Then celebrate your
progress with me! Send an email and let me know. Failure
may stand alone, but success has many friends. Let's celebrate!
No comments:
Post a Comment