One of the greatest ice-hockey players of all time was Wayne Gretzky. He was not a much-sought-after player because he was smaller than most other team members. Considering that fact, it is ironic to me that he turned out to be perhaps the greatest player to ever take the ice.
Whoever said, “Necessity is the mother of invention,” understood the principle I am trying to convey in this week’s Tip. There are people right now who are working diligently to find alternative solutions to our energy challenges. Many people would prefer our country be self-sustaining rather than dependent upon foreign countries for our energy needs. We do not know now where all of this is leading, but I can assure you of one thing: it is leading to a whole new source of energy. There is a fortune to be made for the ones who find these alternative methods. When problems and challenges occur, the key is not to panic – but to start looking for new and better ways of doing things. This applies to the energy industry and every area of life. Let me explain further.
As most of you know, here in the United States, we are celebrating Thanksgiving this week. I realize that this Tip goes to many other countries where Thanksgiving is celebrated at different times. Regardless of where you live and when you celebrate it, Thanksgiving is a good time to remember to be thankful and grateful for everything that you have in life. I have often been reminded that success in life has everything to do with an attitude of gratitude. When a person has a good attitude and a grateful heart, it seems to open doors of opportunity for them that would never be opened otherwise. Not many people who are bitter and ungrateful have prospered very much in their life.
For the past 32 years, I have owned and operated my own company. I have come to understand how business works. It really all boils down to one simple fact of economics: If your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall! In other words, you must stay focused on generating profits, paying your bills, keeping cash in reserve, not getting in over your head, and planning ahead daily. It is a wonderful experience, but it is also very, very challenging!
A few weeks ago, I wrote a Tip referencing the famous coach, Vince Lombardi, of the Green Bay Packers. Anytime I mention him, I always have several people write to me saying that he was a very important influence in their personal life. I can say the same thing for myself. Although I have never been the coach of a professional team, I have had the opportunity to play football in high school and college. I now understand the importance of self-discipline, motivation, and hard work better because of my experiences with many good coaches. Perhaps there was none greater than Vince Lombardi. As you probably already know, the Super Bowl winner each year receives the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The Super Bowl winners are the football champions of the world!
From 1973 to 1981, I was a school principal. I was very young at the time. Although I was inexperienced at being a school principal, I had already been teaching school for two years and was somewhat familiar with the educational system. I loved teaching, and I certainly enjoyed the students. I had a great time meeting parents and still have many wonderful memories from those days.
In school, we all had to take tests. The main purpose of those tests was to see if we were learning anything or making any progress. Hopefully, we all learned a little bit, even if it was just by accident! We also had to take standardized IQ tests so that teachers could know our Intelligence Quotient. Even though all of us have heard of IQ, many of us are still learning about our EQ. Our Emotional Quotient has everything to do with our emotional intelligence. In other words, the issue is not how smart we are academically but rather how smart we are emotionally. There is a very simple test to discover your level of emotional intelligence. It is to answer one question, “How easily do you get angry?” Let’s discuss it.
From 1981 to 1989, Ronald Reagan was President of the United States. Most of us remember him as being a great president. He restored national pride in America. We had developed a very poor self-image as a nation during the 1970’s. The war in Vietnam had ended, gas prices were soaring, and inflation and interest rates were out of control when he became president. It is hard to believe, but I can remember when interest rates were over 20%. I never thought I would live to see single-digit interest rates again!
Years ago, Vince Lombardi was the coach of the Green Bay Packers professional football team. Most people have heard of him and his legendary coaching methods. He was extremely hard on his players, but they learned to love and respect him. In the ’50s and ’60s, Vince Lombardi took the Green Bay Packers from being a little-known team in a relatively small town in Wisconsin to world champion status. Because of his great acclaim, the victory trophy was named after him, and it is awarded to the winner of the Super Bowl each year. He was indeed a legend who will remain forever in the Professional Football Hall of Fame.
Recently, someone handed me a copy of an article that was printed in the London Times. As I read it, I could not help but feel deeply amazed at the accuracy and truth in the article. Although the information was fictitious in nature, it certainly drives home a very important point. I thought you would like to have a copy of this to help remind you of the value of good common sense.
I do not know about you, but sometimes I find myself living in the past. I really do not like to make mistakes. I think I am an idealist. I have such a strong desire to do everything in an excellent manner that it frustrates me as I look back over my life because I realize there are many things I could have done better if I had just applied myself more. Education helps, but there is no greater teacher than personal experience and the feeling of a job well done!
Years ago, I read an article in a magazine that gave me a “guiding concept” for the rest of my life. It was written by a fighter pilot who was explaining the process by which he had been trained. I was fascinated as I read the story. The author explained how most of his training focused on what could go wrong. Although much attention was also given to learning how to do things right, that was not the primary focus of his training. He had to constantly be aware of the unlimited number of variables that could go wrong as he flew his plane. He had to consider what to do in case there was a fire on board since his plane was full of jet fuel. Or what to do in case of an emergency that would force him to eject from his seat. He always had to be aware that he was flying with high-powered missiles on board that could potentially explode at any moment. In addition to that, there was also the challenge of a possible enemy attack while he was in flight. He went into great detail as to all the possible things that could go wrong. Then, at the end of the article, he concluded by saying that he was grateful that he had been trained in that manner because, although he never had to use any of those tips, he was prepared for any situation that arose. He always felt safe because he knew his options if things went wrong.
Have you ever thought about how you have learned the most important lessons in your life? It has not been from someone simply telling you something. Rather, it has been taking good information and doing something with it yourself. You create a much faster learning curve when you actually get involved in the process by doing something yourself. Perhaps an illustration will help.
Are you ready to see how 1st Consultants, Inc. can help you?
