| "I am a big fan of dreams. Unfortunately, dreams | | | | She is right. From the age twelve or thirteen, |
| are our first casualty in life - people seem to give | | | | Steven Spielberg knew that he wanted to be a |
| them up, quicker than anything, for a 'reality'." | | | | movie director. So one day, after a tour of the |
| Kevin Costner | | | | Universal Studio he put on a suit, brought his |
| "Study hard." "Get good grades." That's what | | | | fathers briefcase containing only a sandwich and |
| conventional wisdom says. Success, we are led to | | | | candy bars and walked past the guards. He lived |
| believe, will be based on natural ability or god | | | | in an abandoned trailer that he found and using |
| given talents. But is this really the key to success? | | | | some plastic letters put Steven Spielberg, Director |
| If success is only reserved for the ones able to | | | | on the door. Finally at twenty, three years after |
| do well at school or had been given the ability to | | | | being a squatter he was offered a seven years |
| memorize and apply information, what would | | | | contract to direct a TV series. The rest is history. |
| happen to the rest of us who lack formal | | | | He had a goal, followed it, and adjusted his |
| education, have little natural talents, physically | | | | strategies until he succeeded. |
| challenged, weak or poor? | | | | 3. They love what they do |
| Let's look at certain examples that challenged | | | | Steve Jobs of Apple Computer, a college dropout |
| these conventional thinking. | | | | who ventured into computing said, "I'm convinced |
| One day a boy was sent home from school. With | | | | that the only thing that kept me going was that I |
| him was a note from his teacher to his parents. | | | | loved what I did." When Steve Jobs started his |
| The message? This boy is too stupid to learn and | | | | Apple Computers no one ever thought a kid in |
| it was advised that he just stayed at home. The | | | | blue jeans would revolutionize the computing world |
| boy was Thomas Alva Edison. | | | | while making himself an icon and a billionaire. |
| Another boy was rated the slowest learner in his | | | | For others, nothing could deter them from |
| chemistry class by his teacher. The boy's name? | | | | pursuing what they love, even a criticism from an |
| Louis Pasteur. | | | | authority on the field. Donald Cram for example, |
| Most people, reinforced by conventional beliefs will | | | | was so lackluster in his chemistry major up to the |
| probably call you unrealistic if you said that | | | | stage that his professor urged him to change his |
| anyone, despite not having good grades or formal | | | | field of study. But he insisted that he loves the |
| education can achieve success just as much as | | | | subject and persisted to continue. |
| the talented few. You will be told to be "practical" | | | | In 1989, he won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. |
| and stop your childish dreams now. Dreams are .. | | | | Winners like Jobs and Cram are passionate and |
| well, for dreamers. | | | | excited about what they are doing. That is |
| But numbers do not lie. So let us analyze the | | | | definitely one of the most important qualities that |
| number games a bit more. These statistics | | | | lift one person above the rest. |
| answer it all: | | | | 4. They never give up |
| - Half of all the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies | | | | Another significant trait of these winners is the |
| on average had C or C minus in college. - 65 % | | | | fact that they keep on pursuing their goals |
| of all US Senators come from the bottom half of | | | | regardless of the outcome. They simply refuse to |
| their school classes. - 75 % of US Presidents | | | | surrender. |
| were in the "lower half club" in school. - And more | | | | George Bernard Shaw dreamed of being a great |
| than half of all millionaire entrepreneurs never | | | | writer - despite the fact that he had only five |
| finished college! | | | | years of formal education. He quit his job as a |
| Of course, I am not asking you to abandon | | | | clerk to write; believing that one day he would |
| college and start working in a garage like Steve | | | | make it big. But the path wasn't easy. It took him |
| Jobs. All I am saying is that success takes more | | | | nine years before he could make a living from his |
| than good grades. And the most important | | | | writing. He never gave up his dream even though |
| ingredient of success is not natural abilities or the | | | | his total income for those first nine years was |
| talent to memorize facts. | | | | only 30 dollars. |
| People who are not gifted in term of intellectual | | | | But persistence has its rewards - he eventually |
| abilities realize that this is their handicap, but they | | | | became one of the world's greatest writers, |
| succeed in life because there are certain traits | | | | made a fortune from his writings and eventually |
| that they all have or acquire in their path to | | | | won the Nobel Prize. |
| success. What are those traits? | | | | 5. They believe they can |
| 1. Fire. | | | | Ben Franklin was the fifteenth of seventeen |
| When Bill Cosby dropped out of Temple | | | | children of a poor candle maker. Although he had |
| University, he threw himself into career in | | | | a little more than a year of schooling, he believed |
| comedy completely. Starvation didn't deter him. | | | | that he could still succeed in life. So he learnt |
| He said, "Once you've made that commitment, | | | | philosophy, science, finance, politics and four |
| then your blood has that particular thing in it, and | | | | languages by himself. Lack of schooling or money |
| it's very hard for people to stop you." | | | | couldn't deter him from being a great scientist and |
| People like Bill Cosby have fire in their hearts. | | | | a statesman. |
| Their burning commitment brings the whole body | | | | In short, many have succeeded despite the fact |
| to tap inner strengths, resources and abilities that | | | | that they lack formal education or are having |
| they did not know exist in themselves. It gives | | | | problem getting good grades at school. Success |
| them the spark and inspires them to achieve | | | | takes more than that. What you need is clearly |
| what they want in life. | | | | defined goals and burning passion to pursue it. You |
| 2. They Set Goals | | | | must believe that you can achieve what you |
| The great Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova once | | | | want and never give up. Stay committed, and |
| said, "To follow, without halt, one aim; there's the | | | | stay focused - no matter what happens. |
| secret of success." | | | | Those are the real ingredients of success. |