by “If you want to be a success, study successful people.”
“Success comes to those who spent time perfecting their skills so when opportunity knocked, they could say come in.”
“The only thing standing in your way is yourself.”
These are my top three quotes I have heard recited to me throughout my adult years. I can’t tell you who originated them but I can tell you that my various mentors have made it a point to remind me of them whenever I felt like giving up. The great thing about them, they worked. These quotes and many others helped me remain focused on my goals.
One of the things I like about living in America is there are new examples of success each day. People who create million dollar businesses from their garages and dorm rooms. Mothers who sought a satisfactory solution to a problem but couldn’t find one so they created it, now they are raking in thousands of dollars. The neighbor to the left of you could be one of these success stories. Or maybe you may be on the verge of becoming a story to emulate by inventing something new & exciting or writing the next great novel. The thing is your success is determined by what you define success as. Let me type that again, YOUR SUCCESS IS DETERMINED BY YOUR OWN DEFINITION OF SUCCESS.
Now there are a lot of resources available to help you clarify your personal definition so I won’t spend time discussing your definition further. I do however, want to focus on the strategy within the quote at the beginning of this post: Study successful people. You might have the thought coming across your mind that is similar to this one, “How do I study a successful person when I don’t know anyone like that?” Well you do. Everyone knows at least one person who is successful and you can interview them or ask them to become your mentor. But there is another option.
Study successful people from the comfort of your home or smart phone/tablet. Here are three of the shows available today which provide you insight into the lives of successful individuals:
1) CNBC Titans – Titans, Moguls, & Mavericks is an entertainment show which focuses on the individuals who have made careers from taking ideas some may not have believed viable into legendary successes. They beat the odds and we can learn from their stories. A few individuals highlighted include Steve Jobs, Jack Daniels, and Milton Hershey.
2) O Network Oprah’s Master Class – Oprah leverages her popularity and influence to bring the viewers profiles of entertainers’ failures, successes, and life lessons. The good the bad and the ugly parts of your favorite media personalities are discussed from the mouths of these personalities themselves. Tune in to study Cindy Crawford, Tom Brokaw, and many others.
3) Bloomberg TV Game Changers – This show focuses on business leaders & entrepreneurs who took their ideas and changed the world. There are profiles of individuals like Mark Cuban, Ralph Lauren, J.K. Rowling and many others.
Want inspiration and advice regarding being a success? Tune in to one of these shows. All shows are broadcast on cable but a few may be accessed online from the channel’s website, Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube. Maybe one of these individuals will help you decide what success means to you.
Til next time,
“Action expresses priorities” – Mohandas Gandhi
My definition of success is the same as yours however I’ve not taken it serious, I thank you for reminding me I’m worth the seriousness. Thank you again for most valued and much needed information. I always appreciate your research suggestions and wilingness to help. I look forward to your next post. Thank you.