I have the opportunity in my profession to work with a number of different people who vary in a wide degree in age, education, and income levels. What makes some people so "successful" while others just never seem to make it? I believe that there are three factors that determine the difference between who you are today and who you will be in 5, 10, or 20 years.
1. Intelligence - Education - Brainpower. Whatever you want to call it. Your mental ability to put skills you know into practice, and to learn new skills, will be a major factor in your future success. For some, book smarts and intelligence just comes naturally while others have to study their tails off just to get by. I honestly don't know how much intelligence is genetic, but I do know that numerous studies show the positive effects of reading to children from birth to age 3 when their brain is developing at a rapid rate. But we cannot let our learning stop there. No matter what career you go into today, the one constant of it will be change. There will always be new technology and new regulations which require constantly re-learning how to do a particular job.
2. Discipline - Work Ethic. Knowing how to do something is important. You can be the smartest person in the room or have the best idea on the planet, but if you're not willing to put in the time, effort, and work that it takes to bring that idea to fruition, it's wasted. We've all heard stories of athletes who had all the ability in the world, but lacked the work ethic to push themselves, or lacked the discipline to stay out of trouble. And that's just as true in the workplace and in school. If career or classroom success comes easy for you, consider this: How much better could you be if you worked hard? For me being as untalented as I was in sports, I've always loved the following quote, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." You cannot always control if you're the best, but you can control if you're the hardest working.
3. Kindness - How you treat others. It almost seems that this one would go without saying. But look around at the people you hang out, those you would lend your favorite shirt to, or let borrow your car. You work with people who treat you well, who you trust. The same is true in business. Larger national and regional corporations often go strictly by the numbers and due to their size it can be difficult to build personal relationships. But in Union, a lot of deals and negotiations start based on who you know, who you trust. Look, I'm not saying that I want to rely on the "good ole boy" system, but I am saying that if I have an opportunity to work on an investment with someone, I would choose someone who has been honest, respectful, and kind to me before over someone I have never met (assuming all other factors are similar). As I have considered politics and what the future holds for my family and me, I was often reminded of how 'dirty' politics can be. But consider this, how much nicer would we all be, how helpful would we all be to others if we treated everyone we came in contact with like we needed their vote - no financial rewards on the line, just being kind to earn their support?
I don't know what your goals are or where you want to be in 5, 10, or 20 years. And there are many different forms of success, it's not all about fame, power, and money. But I do know that in order to reach your goals, your intelligence, discipline, and kindness will all be major factors in attaining them.
1. Intelligence - Education - Brainpower. Whatever you want to call it. Your mental ability to put skills you know into practice, and to learn new skills, will be a major factor in your future success. For some, book smarts and intelligence just comes naturally while others have to study their tails off just to get by. I honestly don't know how much intelligence is genetic, but I do know that numerous studies show the positive effects of reading to children from birth to age 3 when their brain is developing at a rapid rate. But we cannot let our learning stop there. No matter what career you go into today, the one constant of it will be change. There will always be new technology and new regulations which require constantly re-learning how to do a particular job.
2. Discipline - Work Ethic. Knowing how to do something is important. You can be the smartest person in the room or have the best idea on the planet, but if you're not willing to put in the time, effort, and work that it takes to bring that idea to fruition, it's wasted. We've all heard stories of athletes who had all the ability in the world, but lacked the work ethic to push themselves, or lacked the discipline to stay out of trouble. And that's just as true in the workplace and in school. If career or classroom success comes easy for you, consider this: How much better could you be if you worked hard? For me being as untalented as I was in sports, I've always loved the following quote, "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard." You cannot always control if you're the best, but you can control if you're the hardest working.
3. Kindness - How you treat others. It almost seems that this one would go without saying. But look around at the people you hang out, those you would lend your favorite shirt to, or let borrow your car. You work with people who treat you well, who you trust. The same is true in business. Larger national and regional corporations often go strictly by the numbers and due to their size it can be difficult to build personal relationships. But in Union, a lot of deals and negotiations start based on who you know, who you trust. Look, I'm not saying that I want to rely on the "good ole boy" system, but I am saying that if I have an opportunity to work on an investment with someone, I would choose someone who has been honest, respectful, and kind to me before over someone I have never met (assuming all other factors are similar). As I have considered politics and what the future holds for my family and me, I was often reminded of how 'dirty' politics can be. But consider this, how much nicer would we all be, how helpful would we all be to others if we treated everyone we came in contact with like we needed their vote - no financial rewards on the line, just being kind to earn their support?
I don't know what your goals are or where you want to be in 5, 10, or 20 years. And there are many different forms of success, it's not all about fame, power, and money. But I do know that in order to reach your goals, your intelligence, discipline, and kindness will all be major factors in attaining them.
Comments
Post a Comment