How Thirsty Are You?     by Steve Goodier A man had an operation, and the doctor, by mistake, left a sponge in him. A friend asked him if he had any pain because of it. "No," said the man, "but I sure do get thirsty." Isn't it wonderful when we get thirsty - not for water, but thirsty to chase a dream or to do something different? I think it is those people who crave something with an unquenchable thirst who, in the end, are likely to be most satisfied with their lives Author Napoleon Hill said, "Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything." He is really talking about a deep thirst.    Alan C. Elliott tells in his book A DAILY DOSE OF THE AMERICAN DREAM about a five-year study that was undertaken to discover what made some people extraordinarily successful. The study consisted of detailed research into the lives of 120 of the nation's top artists, athletes, and scholars.   He reports that the researcher was surprised to find that natural abilities played only a small part in the development of those individuals.   As children, these unusually successful adults were often mediocre musicians, athletes or students. But research found that they possessed a powerful thirst to succeed. They practiced the piano for hours every day, rose well before school in the morning to practice swimming or running, or spent huge chunks of time alone (time they could have spent hanging out with friends) working on science projects or painting Parental support was also a key factor. Parents of these extraordinarily thirsty young people helped out, exposing their children to great ideas and influential persons. Many sacrificed to ensure that their offspring received good training. But in the end, it was their children's thirst and single-mindedness that made the difference.   The principle applies to adults, too. If you want to be more successful, the question you might first ask yourself is, "How thirsty am I?" Your success in any field you choose, anything you want to be or anything you want to do will hinge on your answer to that simple question. How thirsty are you? Source: http://www.allthingsfrugal.com/the-will-to-succeed.htm   . .

success

Hard Advice for Young Leaders

When our oldest son Jeremy was in high school he was on the wrestling team. It was intense training. I loved the discipline and confidence it gave him and I loved the wrestling matches.

When Jeremy would come home from a hard day of practice he wanted to bring what he learned in training into our family time. I had always enjoyed wrestling with my boys, but now he wanted to take our play time to a whole new level. We would start wrestling in the “assumed position” he had been taught, but then I would use my extra 70 pounds as an advantage and quickly pin him to the ground. He would often yell, “No, you’re doing it wrong! That’s not the rules!” To which I would always reply, “No buddy, you’re on my turf now, you play by my rules…and I say there are no rules.” And in that illustration lies a principle younger leaders need to learn as they enter the field of leadership. Here’s the principle: If you’re gonna play with the big boys and girls — you’ve gotta bring your big boy and girl game. Let’s face it. Many entering the field of leadership today have lived as a generation where they were given much of what they wanted but had few demands placed on them personally. They played multiple sports, for example — which they enjoyed — but it meant they didn’t have “chores” when they were home. Of course, there are exceptions, but this is often the case. By the way, this was also more the case for my generation than for my father’s generation.

I’m not being completely critical of this — it was mostly true for our boys also, but because of this, I often see young leaders enter the field of leadership these days with some unrealistic expectations. They sometimes expect to receive equal reward without paying their equal dues. I should also point out I see some incredible young leaders. Hard-working, Conscientious, Dedicated, Loyal, So this is an “if the shoe fits” post. What disturbs me most is when young leaders fail to live up to their full potential.

Here are 10 ways I see that occurring:

• Making excuses for poor performance rather than attempting to improve
• Pretending to have answers to problems they’ve never experienced
• Refusing to learn from other people — especially older people — discounting anything which isn’t from your generation
• Demanding more than they are willing to give — maybe especially in regards to respect
• Expecting a reward they haven’t yet earned
• Depending on step-by-step instructions instead of learning by trial and error
• Refuting another generation for content when technique is the real difference
• Being cynical towards anything opposite of the way they think it should be
• Remaining fearful of taking risks or making a mistake
• Treating loyalty as if it is a strange idea from the past

Wow! I told you — hard words. They only sting if they’re true. And, granted, all of these were probably true to some extent of every generation. They seem very common today among younger leaders.

My advice: Young leaders be patient, teachable, humble, grateful and mold-able as your enter positions of authority and as you are given responsibility. Don’t fail to learn all you can from those who went before you or to grow from your mistakes. Expect to work hard to achieve the things you want from life and realize things may not always be as you would want them to be. There are a few stories of people who stumbled into instant success, but those are rare.

The reward:  Over time, as you are diligent, you will likely change some of the rules. I hope you do. Some of the rules of my generation need changing. I’m not afraid for you to teach this old dog new tricks. I want to learn from you. I want you to have responsibility and authority. I want you to be fully rewarded and recognized for your contribution to society. I also want you to realize, however, that most things of lasting value take time and discipline to achieve. The “big boy and girl” world can be tough, but you can make a huge contribution if you are willing to pay the price.

By the way, I gave this same advice to my sons as they have entered adulthood and the workplace

Source: http://www.ronedmondson.com/2015/08/my-hardest-advice-for-young-leaders.html