“He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill.”
– Edmund Burke (1729–1797)
Irish philosopher and statesman
You can draw value from a naysayer or cynic by remaining objective and positive in your thinking. (yes, it can be tough)
Occasionally, they’ll point out valid hurdles or challenges you haven’t seen. With their help, if you can remain objective (and keep your ego in check), you’ll have a better chance of getting something valuable from the interaction.
“Almost always the creative, dedicated minority has made the world better.”
– Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968)
American civil rights leader
Nobel Peace Prize winner
What if…
John and Abigail Adams had been more concerned with themselves and work/life balance than creating a democracy?
What if… Abraham Lincoln had quit trying after having a business go under and losing his first local legislative race?
What if… Martin Luther King didn’t have a dream and played it safe (and didn’t travel over 6 million miles giving more than 2500 speeches). What if he thought he was too young to have an impact?
What if… Gandhi, Teresa, Roosevelt, Ford, Disney, Walton, Gates, Winfrey, Jobs, Stewart, and Ash hadn’t stepped up and worked hard. (What if the thousands of people who supported them hadn’t?) What if your police, military, firefighters didn’t?
What if… No one pushed it, risked it, and pushed it again?
Be obligated to your world.
“The people at the very top don’t work just harder or even much harder than everyone else. They work much, much harder.”
– Malcolm Gladwell (1963 – )
Canadian journalist
Are you sitting on some kind of wonderful (waiting for a better day, week, month, year, time to make the call)?
Be careful to invest your money hours wisely. Time is the only thing you can never get back.
Sure… There are lottery winners. But that’s not the way to bet.
Gladwell’s bestseller “Outliers: The Story of Success” is a favorite read of mine (well worth the time) – some great insights on what it takes to succeed.
The hard work piece you already know (hopefully). It’s the impact of luck and culture that are pretty fascinating.