Over the past year, I've read about fifteen biographies of
the most influential people I could find, including Amelia
Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, both Theodore and Franklin
Roosevelt, Winston Churchill (two biographies) and others.
As part of my New Year's review, I took time to think about
the factors that made them so successful.
Obviously, the common denominators were not family or
wealth. Amelia Earhart grew up poor and her father was an
alcoholic. Orville and Wilbur Wright repaired bicycles for
a living.
Winston Churchill did not become Prime Minister until he
was 65 and spent his middle years in "the wilderness,"
rejected and ridiculed. Well into his forties, William
Randolph Hearst was viewed as a dangerous "crank," and yet
he became one of the richest and most powerful leaders in
America.
So, what made them successful? I came up with at least
three powerful traits that seemed to make all the
difference.
1. First, they knew exactly what they wanted. Many people
have observed that "clarity is power" and these people were
clear about what they stood for and what they wanted.
Churchill's views on Hitler never wavered. The Wright
brothers were determined to build an airplane. FDR set out
to be President while recovering from polio, when many
people thought his productive life was over. Henry Ford was
determined to develop a V8 engine when his engineers
thought it couldn't be done. Earhart new exactly what she
wanted to do and planned, plotted and schemed to make her
flights happen.
This is why I'm such a strong believer in setting goals!
If you have life-time goals, great! But even if it's merely
a specific, measurable goal to increase your income by 20%
this year, or to change jobs, or to take a trip to Paris,
write it down. Visualize it. Affirm it! Clarity brings
power!
2. Second, they were determined. Each of these people had
a strong personality. I'm sure their family and friends
thought they were stubborn, bull-headed, even obnoxious,
but they "stayed the course." They fought for what they
wanted. Churchill endured rejection, was accused of treason
and war-mongering, but he knew where he stood, what he
believed, and he never flinched.
I loved the stories of the Wright brother's failure.
Everyone knows of their ultimate success at Kitty Hawk, but
few remember the plans that didn't "fly." Most people know
that it took Thomas Edison 10,000 "failures" to invent the
electric light bulb, but few seem to have learned the
lesson.
I've worked with too many clients who have `tried' to
start a business or achieve some other goal, but quit
because "it didn't work out." If it were easy, everyone
else would have already done it!
3. They worked very, very hard. We all wish success were
easier. That's part of human nature. We love the promise
that we can "work less and make more" and when there's a
smarter, better way, I always want to help my clients find
it! That's the joy of being a coach! But often there are no
alternatives to hard, hard work.
Earhart's flights were physically exhausting and at least
once she literally wet her pants during a long flight. W.
R. Hearst worked all night, and both Teddy and Franklin
Roosevelt drove their staffs to exhaustion with their
endless working hours. After formal dinners, Churchill
routinely went back to work until 2:00 or 3:00 in the
morning, (or later!) and one of his rules was to "lay down
200 bricks and write 2000 words a day." That was an
enormous out-put!
To make next your best year ever, my suggestion is that you
have very clear goals, that you make up your mind to stay
focused no matter how long it takes, and that you agree to
work very, very hard. If you are fortunate and success
comes quickly, good for you! But more often, success, fame
and fortune are the result of long hours, persistent effort
and clear goals. Stay the course. Make this the new year you
turn it around and create the life you truly want.
the most influential people I could find, including Amelia
Earhart, Charles Lindbergh, both Theodore and Franklin
Roosevelt, Winston Churchill (two biographies) and others.
As part of my New Year's review, I took time to think about
the factors that made them so successful.
Obviously, the common denominators were not family or
wealth. Amelia Earhart grew up poor and her father was an
alcoholic. Orville and Wilbur Wright repaired bicycles for
a living.
Winston Churchill did not become Prime Minister until he
was 65 and spent his middle years in "the wilderness,"
rejected and ridiculed. Well into his forties, William
Randolph Hearst was viewed as a dangerous "crank," and yet
he became one of the richest and most powerful leaders in
America.
So, what made them successful? I came up with at least
three powerful traits that seemed to make all the
difference.
1. First, they knew exactly what they wanted. Many people
have observed that "clarity is power" and these people were
clear about what they stood for and what they wanted.
Churchill's views on Hitler never wavered. The Wright
brothers were determined to build an airplane. FDR set out
to be President while recovering from polio, when many
people thought his productive life was over. Henry Ford was
determined to develop a V8 engine when his engineers
thought it couldn't be done. Earhart new exactly what she
wanted to do and planned, plotted and schemed to make her
flights happen.
This is why I'm such a strong believer in setting goals!
If you have life-time goals, great! But even if it's merely
a specific, measurable goal to increase your income by 20%
this year, or to change jobs, or to take a trip to Paris,
write it down. Visualize it. Affirm it! Clarity brings
power!
2. Second, they were determined. Each of these people had
a strong personality. I'm sure their family and friends
thought they were stubborn, bull-headed, even obnoxious,
but they "stayed the course." They fought for what they
wanted. Churchill endured rejection, was accused of treason
and war-mongering, but he knew where he stood, what he
believed, and he never flinched.
I loved the stories of the Wright brother's failure.
Everyone knows of their ultimate success at Kitty Hawk, but
few remember the plans that didn't "fly." Most people know
that it took Thomas Edison 10,000 "failures" to invent the
electric light bulb, but few seem to have learned the
lesson.
I've worked with too many clients who have `tried' to
start a business or achieve some other goal, but quit
because "it didn't work out." If it were easy, everyone
else would have already done it!
3. They worked very, very hard. We all wish success were
easier. That's part of human nature. We love the promise
that we can "work less and make more" and when there's a
smarter, better way, I always want to help my clients find
it! That's the joy of being a coach! But often there are no
alternatives to hard, hard work.
Earhart's flights were physically exhausting and at least
once she literally wet her pants during a long flight. W.
R. Hearst worked all night, and both Teddy and Franklin
Roosevelt drove their staffs to exhaustion with their
endless working hours. After formal dinners, Churchill
routinely went back to work until 2:00 or 3:00 in the
morning, (or later!) and one of his rules was to "lay down
200 bricks and write 2000 words a day." That was an
enormous out-put!
To make next your best year ever, my suggestion is that you
have very clear goals, that you make up your mind to stay
focused no matter how long it takes, and that you agree to
work very, very hard. If you are fortunate and success
comes quickly, good for you! But more often, success, fame
and fortune are the result of long hours, persistent effort
and clear goals. Stay the course. Make this the new year you
turn it around and create the life you truly want.
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