Create Your Own Reality

The successful are a lot like magicians; they don’t deal in other people’s realities. Instead, they are bent on creating a new reality for themselves that is different from the one that others accept. They aren’t interested in what other people deem possible or impossible; they only care about producing the things they dream are possible. They’re never sold on the idea of deal- ing in others’ beliefs or guidelines, and they don’t submit to the agreed-upon “reality.” They want to create what they want and have a high disregard—even dislike—for mass agreement. Do a bit of research and you will see that those who have made

it really big created a reality that did not exist before they came along. Whether it is a salesperson, an athlete, an artist, a politician, or an inventor, greatness is achieved by those who think nothing of being practical and are instead obsessed with the idea of creating the reality they want to make. The next reality of how things will or can be is only as far away as the next person who creates it.

Commit First—Figure Out Later

At first glance, this might be appear to be a highly undesirable— even perilous—trait of the highly successful. However, it’s far less dangerous than the alternative frequently practiced by the unsuccessful. Most people assume that they have to figure everything out first and will commit once they do; however, they never seem to get around to it. Even when they do figure it out and are ready to commit, they usually find that the opportunity no longer exists or that someone else has claimed the spoils.

Committing first means getting 100 percent behind whatever it is you are committing to before you figure out every detail. This is what allows small companies and wild entrepreneurs to outmaneuver other bigger, richer competi- tors. The great companies of yesterday get so powerful and so enamored of layers of management that their staff spends most of its days in meetings—which causes them to become cautious and incapable of pulling triggers the way they did when they were taking risks and growing. Although it can be dicey to commit first and figure the rest out later, it is my belief that creativity and problem solving are stimulated only after a person fully commits. Although preparation and training are critical, challenges of the marketplace will require you to act before you determine how to make it turn out all right. It is not necessarily the smartest and brightest who win in the game of life but rather those who can commit the most passionately to their cause.

Be Highly Ethical

This is an area of confusion for many people—especially when they see supposedly successful individuals going to jail. Well, as far as I’m concerned, it doesn’t matter how much success you amass. Going to jail would be an immediate disquali- fier. Even if a criminal does not get caught, he or she is still criminal—and therefore incapable of real success. I know people who would never tell a lie or steal a penny who I don’t consider ethical—because they also don’t bother to fulfill their commitments as providers of security and role models for their families and friends. If you don’t go to work every day—and do everything within your power to succeed—then you are stealing from your family, future, and the company for which you work. You have made agreements—either implied or spoken—with your spouse, family, colleagues, managers, and clients. The more success you create, the better you are able to take care of those agreements. To me, being ethical doesn’t just mean playing by society’s agreed-upon rules. I also believe that being ethical requires people to do what they have told others they would do—and doing so until they get the desired results. Making an effort without a result is not ethical because it is a form of lying to yourself and failing to fulfill your obligations and commitments. Trying, wishing, praying, hop- ing, and wanting aren’t going to get you there. In my mind, ethical people achieve the results they desire and create so much success for themselves, their family, and their company that they can survive any storm and succeed regardless of any difficulty.

One of the personal experiences of which I am most proud was my ability to weather two years in a severely challenging economic environment while I was confront- ing other, even more serious challenges in my life—and was still able to expand my company and provide for my family. Anything short of providing long-term success means putting everyone in your life—including yourself—at risk.

I am not talking about “cash register” ethics here but rather the bigger concept of living up to your abilities and poten- tial as well as your unspoken or explicit commitments. Merely agreeing to be a father, husband, entrepreneur, or business owner—or whatever role you play—brings with it implied commitments and agreements. I consider it unethi- cal not to fully utilize the gifts, talents, and mind with which I have been blessed. Only you can decide what is ethical to you. However, I would suggest that any disparity between what you know you can do and what you are achieving is an ethical issue. The most successful among us are driven by ethical obligation and motivation to do something significant that aligns with their potential.

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 621