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8 Things Really Successful People Do
Real success takes discipline and methodology. Here are eight things the most successful people are meticulous about getting right.
Most people claim to want success. But not everyone is willing to do the hard work and the smart work to get there. Often opportunities present themselves and because people are distracted, they miss them or give up on them before things fully develop.
Truly successful people don't leave much to chance. They are disciplined and focused. They constantly seek new methods to achieve more, in bigger and faster ways. Listed below are eight different practices that will help you concentrate your efforts on rising above the tide.
1. Make Materialism Irrelevant
Fancy cars and houses are all well and good, but many foolishly focus on the byproducts of success, rather than concentrating on building sustainable success in the first place. Establish a bare minimum for your material needs, and then you can enjoy the benefits of success, debt and stress free.
2. Enhance Knowledge
Success comes faster to those who are open, active learners. The higher up the success ladder you climb, the more complex the systems and opportunities that are presented to you. Absorb all the information you can and if you sense a gap you can't fill, connect with people who have the knowledge you need.
3. Manage Relationship Expectations
People in your life require time. Successful individuals attract folk and so they have to carefully regulate the time they can spend with others. It's hard to limit the time you share and still make people feel important. Make choices about the people who matter to you and determine how you each can get value from your interactions. Then make sure they understand your limitations so they don't take it personally when you can't be present.
4. Practice Emotional Self-Awareness
Not all successful people are calm and nice. In fact, many can be volatile. But most are very aware of their tempers and idiosyncrasies. They know how to use their emotions to get what they want from life and work hard to make sure feelings don't become a detriment. Know yourself and learn how to let your emotions work for you in positive ways.
5. Commit to a Physical Ideal
Everyone has a vision of their own perfect body. They don't have to be fashion models or athletes to be happy. But physical health is a consideration in their life and it's a big distraction when it gets out of whack. Determine the body you believe is worth working for and set a game plan to achieve and maintain it.
6. Gain Clarity About Spirituality
There are many highly successful people like Richard Branson and Warren Buffettwho don't consider religion to be important or relevant. But they have a clear point of view as to the role spirituality plays in their life. Find your own way to be at one with the universe and be clear and deliberate in how you practice.
7. Adhere to a Code of Ethics
Really successful people live by rules. They may not be the rules of others, but consistency is important for them to maintain power and stability. Their individual view of how the world works is the basis for how they believe people should be treated and they will defend it until their dying day. Determine your ethical lines and broadcast them loud and clear so people around you know where you stand.
8. Focus on Time Efficiency
Prioritization is a key component of success. You can't reach your pinnacle if you are wasting time on distractions. Integration of activities frees up time for greater achievement. Spend your time on activities that are fun, enlightening and productive and soon you'll have gained hours to reap the benefits of success.
Ultimately, really successful people live their lives by design instead of default, so if you want to be one of them, dedicate time and effort to determining the plan for yourpreferred future and execute that plan in a focused and consistent manner.
6 Unique Ways to Be Successful and Happy
Tired of searching for the secret to a fulfilling career and a happy life? Look no further.
What if the key to becoming successful and happy is to quit trying to be either? Would that throw a wrench into your career goals? Make a mess of your life plans? If so, then you need to read this.
Here's the thing. Never before have there been so many people spending so much time searching for the secrets to a successful career and a happy life. Which is really a shame because they're not going to find either, at least not that way.
There are lots of reasons why that is, but the most glaringly obvious one is that nobody ever got anywhere by doing what everyone else is doing.
Think about it. The world has never been more competitive. If you want to have a fulfilling career and live a good life, you've got to get ahead of the competition. The only way to do that is to do things differently, to find your own unique path that works for you.
Here are six ways to do that, to become successful and happy.
Build real relationships. What a novel concept, right? While everyone else is wasting their time developing their personal brands and building huge online networks, get out and spend time with real people in the real world. One-on-one in real time. That's the only place you'll find real opportunity and friendship. And that's where success and happiness comes from. No kidding.
Groom yourself. Want to know how great companies that churn out hundreds of future CEOs develop their talent? They identify and recruit up-and-comers and then groom them by moving them around into different areas and situations. That's how they learn a broad range of skills. Experience. Get out in the world. Try different things. Get your hands dirty. That's how you'll find opportunity and figure out what makes you happy.
Do nothing. So much of life is out of our control. We never seem to have enough information to solve tough problems and make important decisions. When you need to gain some perspective, resist the urge to seek out more information. Turn off all the sources of communication, all the noise that distracts you. Just be quiet and listen to your own inner thoughts. Don't judge them; just listen. The answers to life's most difficult challenges are always there.
Work for a great company. Everybody wants to be an entrepreneur these days. Here's a novel thought. Go work for a great company. Learn from people smarter, more accomplished, more experienced than you. Learn from the pros. Find a mentor or two. Learn how business works in the real world. Figure out how you can help that company be even better. What you can bring to the party that really matters and nobody else is doing. If you're meant to be an entrepreneur, an opportunity will come to you. And you'll be ready for it.
Do one thing at a time. Everyone's so distracted with social media and all their slash jobs these days, try picking one thing you really want to do and just get it done. Prioritize. It'll provide a sense of accomplishment and control. It'll help you build confidence. Even if it fails, you'll learn from the experience. And you'll gain strength from knowing that failure didn't kill you. That will make you more resilient and give you courage to tackle bigger things.
Be good to yourself. Most people who want a lot out of life are their own worst enemy. They take themselves too seriously. Judge themselves too harshly. Expect too much out of themselves and others. If you can learn to let go of all your expectations, quit trying so hard to get somewhere, you'll learn that just being you, present in this moment, is all that matters. That's what life is all about. And that's when all good things will come to you. Success, happiness, everything.
Richard Branson: 'Screw It. Just Do It'
Richard Branson: 'Screw It. Just Do It'
At a certain point, ignore the naysayers and just act. That's what Sir Branson did--at age 15.
Long before Richard Branson launched a record company, a mobile-phone company, an airline, or any of the other 400 or so companies he has created, he was dropping out of school to start a magazine. Fortunately for Branson, he had an understanding father.
Like a lot of entrepreneurs, I had no interest in being a businessman. I was a young man and the Vietnam War was raging, a war I thought never should have been started. A lot of us young people felt very strongly it should be stopped. I thought that maybe by giving us a voice, I could help stop the war. So I set about launching a magazine for young people called Student.
Of course, I didn't have any money. So I worked out of my boarding school, ringing up Coca-Cola and Pepsi and National Westminster Bank, playing them off one another to buy advertising. I had no idea what I was doing, but somehow my enthusiasm managed to land me $6,000 worth of advertising, enough to print 50,000 copies. I wrote my headmaster a note that said, "I'm off! But thank you very much," and I left school to launch the magazine.
A few people tried to talk me out of it. My father was the first. He'd have been an irresponsible father if he hadn't. He drove up to the school to persuade me to continue my studies, and reluctantly, I agreed. He wanted me to be a lawyer, like him. But when he went home, my mother was not happy. She ordered him to turn around and tell me it was OK. On that second visit, he took me on a walk around the garden to lecture me on the perils of what I was doing. At the end, he said, "Look, you know what you want to do at 15; I didn't know what I wanted to do when I was 21. Give it a go, and if it doesn't work out, we'll try to get you a formal education again."
He was a wonderful father. Because, if you have a good idea, 99 percent of people will tell you why it's no good or how it's been done before or why else you're going to fall flat on your face. You've just got to say, "Screw it; just do it" and get on with it. If you fail, pick yourself up and try another one. If you have enough determination, you will succeed more likely than not because of all you learned those times you didn't.
3 super efficient ways to expand your comfort zone!
3 super efficient ways to expand your comfort zone!
Changes are happening every day in your life, but it's just not all of them you focus on.For instance: Your body is changing every day, people around you are changing, the seasons are changing, okay that's probably what we pay most attention to :-)
Often changes are happening gradually and we don't realize it before it's over or even when it's too late!Perhaps you recognize the situation, where the wife has had a hair cut and dyed her hair and her dear husband does not notice it ... before it is too late and she's nagging and moaning about him not noticing it :-)
Or when your husband of 20 years tells you, he wants a divorce. It's not because it happened overnight, but it is something that has been built up over years and you realize it too late or you did know it but didn't really do anything about it or maybe you didn't know what to do...
Often changes are happening gradually and we don't realize it before it's over or even when it's too late!Perhaps you recognize the situation, where the wife has had a hair cut and dyed her hair and her dear husband does not notice it ... before it is too late and she's nagging and moaning about him not noticing it :-)
Or when your husband of 20 years tells you, he wants a divorce. It's not because it happened overnight, but it is something that has been built up over years and you realize it too late or you did know it but didn't really do anything about it or maybe you didn't know what to do...
The last example is a personal experience and I've written a tiny little E-book about
Crucial moments and what we do with them.
(out for sale very soon)How do you feel about changes? Changes that involves you and that affects you directly?
Personally, I really like changes and therefore I very easily adjust and tune in, so it helps me further in my life, but it has not always been this way.One of the biggest values â€'â€'in my life have always been security/safety.But I have, hence the crucial moments and changes there have been in my life, actually learned to love changes and at right now, changes are of great value to my life. I no longer chose the safe and secure, because I've experienced, I grow much more with the changes.My comfort zone is growing, which in fact means that I get an even larger area, where I feel safe.
Personally, I really like changes and therefore I very easily adjust and tune in, so it helps me further in my life, but it has not always been this way.One of the biggest values â€'â€'in my life have always been security/safety.But I have, hence the crucial moments and changes there have been in my life, actually learned to love changes and at right now, changes are of great value to my life. I no longer chose the safe and secure, because I've experienced, I grow much more with the changes.My comfort zone is growing, which in fact means that I get an even larger area, where I feel safe.
So changes has become the means to my goals.
Maybe it's not the same values â€'â€'you have, but here is one of the methods I have used to expand my comfort zone, so I was super efficient, tohandle the changes, to expand the courage to challenge myself and do new things and that caused me to trust myself and my own abilities much more.
3 effective ways to expand your comfort zone
1.
Maybe it's not the same values â€'â€'you have, but here is one of the methods I have used to expand my comfort zone, so I was super efficient, tohandle the changes, to expand the courage to challenge myself and do new things and that caused me to trust myself and my own abilities much more.
3 effective ways to expand your comfort zone
1.
Create a list of 30 things you fear to do RIGHT NOW .. Yes, write, write ..... :-)
you can start out with, what you believe is small things and when you are more comfortable, you create a new list with 30 new things.
Ex. Calling a customer say to a girlfriend, she does not treat you well, ask for help, start a fitness class, stop eating sweets, etc.
2.
you can start out with, what you believe is small things and when you are more comfortable, you create a new list with 30 new things.
Ex. Calling a customer say to a girlfriend, she does not treat you well, ask for help, start a fitness class, stop eating sweets, etc.
2.
There are 30-31 days in a month, so the next step is to do one of the things from the list you wrote before. So each day, you have to do one of the things you fear.
3.
3.
Every time you think: "No I can not," "I dare not," "I can not figure out," "I'm not good enough" Then do it anyway.
As Soren Kirkegaard said it so beautifully:
As Soren Kirkegaard said it so beautifully:
To dare,
is losing foothold for awhile.
Not to dare is to lose oneself forever.
Do you want to take your life to the next level, and to live with much more authenticity, balance and courage?
is losing foothold for awhile.
Not to dare is to lose oneself forever.
Do you want to take your life to the next level, and to live with much more authenticity, balance and courage?
Don’t change the World
Don’t change the World
This is a tiny story I just read. It made me smile and reminded me the importance of YOU.
Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous country.
One day, he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country. When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road that he went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the entire country with leather. Definitely, this would need thousands of cows’ skin, and would cost a huge amount of money.
Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous country.
One day, he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country. When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very painful, because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road that he went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the entire country with leather. Definitely, this would need thousands of cows’ skin, and would cost a huge amount of money.
Then one of his wise servant dared himself to tell the king, “Why do you have to spend that unnecessary amount of money ? Why don’t you just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet ?”
The king was surprised, but he later agreed to his suggestion, to make a “shoe” for himself.
To make this world a happy place to live, change yourself…
5 Ways to Know What Your Customers Want Before They Do
5 Ways to Know What Your Customers Want Before They Do
You have to train yourself to see the world through their eyes. Here's how.
The number one worry we hear from our clients today is this: “I need to understand my customer better, but it's getting harder, not easier.” Why is that true for so many entrepreneurs? Let us count the ways:
- Customers are less loyal and far less trusting than they used to be. This is especially true in industries whose reputations suffered during the financial crisis—including banking, pharmaceuticals, energy, airlines and media. But even if you're in an unrelated industry, you’re likely to feel some of the same effect.
- Consumers have more power than ever before, thanks to social media, easy on-line comparison-shopping, and a proliferation of choices.
- Customer diversity continues to increase, putting a premium on micro-segmentation and deep customer insight.
- By increasing the noise-to-data ratio, the data deluge occasioned by the Internet can actually make it harder to understand your customers.
- Economic uncertainty and data overload confuse customers as well, making them less interested in products than in flexible, adaptive solutions.
To get close to this more demanding client, you really need to get inside his or her head. Here are five ways to do that:
- Stand in your customer’s shoes. Look beyond your core business and understand your customer’s full range of choices, as well as his or her ecosystem of suppliers, partners etc.--of which you may be part. This exercise will also deepen your understanding of competitors and help you better anticipate their moves.
- Staple yourself to a customer’s order. Track key customers’ experiences as they traverse your company’s pathways and note where the experience breaks down. Some hospitals ask interns to experience the check-in process as fake patients. One client asked managers to listen in on its call center. If you can’t exactly put yourself through a customer experience, try role-playing exercises at all points of the customer’s experience with your company.
- Field diverse customer teams. One bank added members of the back-office support group to its customer team, supplementing the usual customer-facing roles. IBM sends senior teams from different disciplines into the field to meet customers and develop a deep understanding of how to serve them better.
- Learn together with customers. GE invited its top customers in China, along with local executives and account managers, to a seminar on leadership and innovation. Doing so not only helped GE executives better understand the mindset of Chinese counterparts; it also helped them to influence that mindset.
- Lean forward and anticipate. Focus on what customers will want tomorrow, as Steve Jobs and Richard Branson did so exquisitely. Try to envision different futures through tools like scenario planning and then explore how underlying market shifts may affect your customers.
Remember that sometimes you need to get out of your own way to really understand your customers. Psychologists know, for example, that you’re likely to listen for problems that fit your own offerings, and to discount others. That can cause you to miss important opportunities, or to get blindsided later.
So, try to listen with a third ear, as an anthropologist would, to what your customers are saying to you. If you can truly hear them, they’ll tell you all you need to know.
Co-authored with Steve Krupp, CEO of Decision Strategies International, with helpful advice from Wharton Professor George S. Day who just published a related book called Innovation Prowess. Click here to test your customer centricity.
the bad bricks to the good bricks
What is a practical way to move our attention from the bad bricks to the good bricks? Try this process:
(1) List the top 10 things you DON’T want in your life experience.
(2) List 10 things you DO want (opposite of 1).
(3) List the FEELINGS you’d experience if these 10 things were already true for you.
(4) Everyday spend some time FEELING that you already have these 10 things.
(5) List 10 immediate action steps you can take.
(6) Replace any doubts/anxieties with love/gratitude.
Let’s Do it!
Richard Branson
Screw It! Let’s Do it!
- by Richard Branson
- by Richard Branson
This gem of a book is a very quick read. It is only 106 pages long and Branson doesn’t waste a single word. His sentences are crisp, short and written in a very easy to read conversational style. The book is subtitled “Lessons in Life” and is divided into nine sections, one for each lesson. They are:
- Just Do It!
- Have Fun!
- Be Bold
- Challenge Yourself
- Stand On Your Own Feet
- Live the Moment
- Value Family and Friends
- Have Respect
- Do Some Good
What I like most about this book is that Branson finds a perfect balance between story telling a delivering wisdom. It is not a memoir (for that, you should read Branson’s book “Losing My Virginity”) and it is not merely a book on business or personal philosophies. Branson’s pearls of wisdom are dispensed without feeling preachy. He is simply telling the story of what has worked for him and making suggestions about how you and I can use these same principles in our lives.
I found it amazing that the tone of the book remains humble throughout. At no point does he get caught up in patting himself on the back about his successes and achievements. Somehow, he manages to relate the story of leveraging his personal friendship with King Hussein and Queen Noor of Jordan to help broker the safe release of British hostages being held in Iraq by Saddam Hussein in 1990, all without a hint of bragging or bravado.
He discusses starting his first business at the age of fifteen (from which grew the Virgin Empire), racing powerboats across the Atlantic Ocean, being the first to cross the Atlantic in a hot-air balloon. The common theme in all of his endeavors can be summed up in this quote:
“If something is what you really want to do, just do it. Whatever your goal is, you will never succeed unless you let go of your fears and fly.”
It is worth reading this book just to hear Branson’s story of how he came to purchase his famed island getaway, Necker Island. His hadn’t planned on buying an island, he was just operating from one of his chief principles: “Have Fun”. If you’ve read “The Secret” or any other book on the Law of Attraction, you will immediately recognize that Richard Branson is living proof that these principles work whether you are aware of them or not. At no point does Branson mention spirituality, the Universe or the Law of Attraction, yet his stories are wonderful illustrations of what happens when someone operates for a place of possibility and joy.
At the age of 27, Branson fell in love with Necker Island in the British Virgin Islands. The asking price was £3,000,000. Branson boldly offered £150,000. Three months later, he got a call to say that he could have the island for £180,000. The only problem was that he didn’t have that much money. His reaction?
“This would cost a lot. But I was positive I could find the money somewhere to do it and I agreed to the terms. Now all I had to do was find the money to buy the island of my dreams. It seemed out of reach, but I vowed to reach my goal.”
Joseph Campbell wrote “follow your bliss”. Branson writes: “…have fun and the money will come and in turn, so will your goals.“ Most of us have heard advice like this so often that it has become cliché, however, after you’ve read Branson’s account of his trip to Jamaica and the British Virgin Islands, you will become a believer!
Another of Richard Branson’s personal principles that really resonates with me is summed up in these sentences: “As soon as something stops being fun, I think it’s time to move on. Life is too short to be unhappy. Waking up stressed and miserable is not a good way to live.”
Branson tells the story of pitching the idea of starting an airline to his partners at Virgin Music. Branson was proposing to use a third of a year’s profits from Virgin Music to start Virgin Atlantic. He told them that the risk was worth it because it would be “fun”.
“They weren’t happy with the word ‘fun’. To them, business was serious, It is. But, to me, having fun matters more.”
While the book doesn’t break any new ground in terms of wisdom, I highly recommend it specifically because it is filled with time-honoured pearls of wisdom, each of which Branson manages to breathe life into through his fascinating anecdotes about his personal and business life.
Even though you and I probably have very little in common with Richard Branson, this book will have you believing that you can achieve anything if you have the right attitude!
As I read this book, many of Branson’s philosophies reminded me of a book by Mark Burnett, one of the pioneers of reality television and creator of shows such as “Survivor” and “The Apprentice”. Burnett’s book is called “Jump In! Even If You Don’t Know How To Swim” and it chronicles Burnett’s arrival in America in 1982 as a young British ex-commando with $600 and no return plane ticket. Burnett’s secret to success can be summed up in the following quote:
As I read this book, many of Branson’s philosophies reminded me of a book by Mark Burnett, one of the pioneers of reality television and creator of shows such as “Survivor” and “The Apprentice”. Burnett’s book is called “Jump In! Even If You Don’t Know How To Swim” and it chronicles Burnett’s arrival in America in 1982 as a young British ex-commando with $600 and no return plane ticket. Burnett’s secret to success can be summed up in the following quote:
“It’s about taking action. Nothing will ever be perfect, and nothing can be totally planned. The best you can hope for is to be about half certain of your plan and know that you and the team you’ve assembled are willing to work hard enough to overcome the inevitable problems as they arrive…. If you’re passionate, committed, and willing to believe in yourself, anything is possible. It all starts when you take that half certainty, mix it with your intuition and Jump In. Over analyzing… will be the beginning and the end!
Our current global economic climate has left many people feeling gun shy about having an optimistic outlook on life. After all, many “sure things” have evaporated recently and uncertainty seems to rule the day. At this point, each of us has two options available:
1. Wait until you are positive about the outcome before taking any action. This includes changing careers, investing money, falling in love, starting a family and so on.
2. Realize that nothing in life is ever certain and decide that a positive outlook is more important to your success than actually being positive about the outcome.
I urge you to take the second option. Decide what outcome you want for your life, set your intentions and goals clearly in your mind, develop a decent, yet flexible, strategy then say: Screw it, let’s do it! and jump in!
How to Become a Successful Businessman
How to Become a Successful Businessman
A businessman is someone who partakes in a business venture and who develops and maintains business operations. It is not uncommon for a businessman to be involved in 1 or more businesses, which may be companies, corporations and/or entrepreneurship A successful businessman is one who oversees 1 or more successful businesses, the success often being measured in financial terms like net worth, gross capital, cultural impact and sustainability. Whatever the measure of a business's success, there is a successful businessman behind it. Follow these guidelines for how to be a successful businessman.
Steps
- 1Get an education. It is important that you know the fundamentals of running a business. There are many ways to learn business principles such as marketing, management, finance and operations.
- College. Any degree in business is a good start.
- Trade schools. If your business specializes in a particular trade, you should know as much as you can about that trade to ensure business success.
- Seminars. Attend seminars on business in order to learn from those who have already succeeded as businessmen.
- College. Any degree in business is a good start.
- 2Develop your interpersonal skills. Interpersonal skills relate to how you interact with people. Not only will you need these skills to manage your employees, but also to negotiate deals and contracts, communicate effectively with the public and network with other industry professionals. To be a businessman with good interpersonal skills, practice the following:
- Make it a point to appreciate the work and input of others.
- Practice active listening. This means acknowledging what other people say by repeating it back to them in your own words, as you understand it to be.
- Pay attention to others. Be proactive about noticing others' feelings, words and body language.
- Connect people. A successful businessman is a hub through which other interpersonal connections are made. Promote an environment that brings people together by treating people equally and fairly, and encouraging them to work together.
- Take a leadership role when it comes to resolving conflicts. Act as the mediator, rather than involving yourself personally.
- Make it a point to appreciate the work and input of others.
- 3Pursue your dreams of business success with passion. It is not enough to just want to be a businessman. A passion for success is what will make you stand out from the average.
- 4Hire carefully. Your employees are your support network, and are necessary to your business success. Hire only people who are skilled and competent, and be sure to consider how well your employees will mesh as a team when choosing your hires.
- 5Manage your finances with your business's well being in mind. Custom suits and a large office may be tempting, but reinvesting in your business should be top priority if you aim to be a successful businessman.
- 6Seek the guidance of a mentor. Choose to develop a relationship with a businessman whose career you would like to emulate. You may find this mentor through social circles or by researching businesses that you deem as successful and asking for advice.
- 7Take calculated risks. You must take some chances and step outside the norm in order to become a businessman that stands out amongst competitors. This means accepting the inevitability of small failures and learning to see them as opportunities for growth. Plan your ventures carefully and hedge as much risk as you can, but be prepared for the occasional setback
.
4 Tips For The Successful Businessman
4 Tips For The Successful Businessman
by Joop Liefaard
I have a passion for the bald eagle or Haliaeetus Leucocephalus
according to his scientific name. I have this passion as long as
I can remember. But it is not a logical passion. I am Dutch and
a passion for a bird of prey that is common in The Netherlands
would be more obvious. But life is full of inexplicable surprises
and left me with this passion for the bald eagle, the national
symbol of the United States of America. I have seen the
eagles only once in my life in their natural habitat and that
was during a holiday in British Columbia in Canada.
When I read about bald eagles and about the way they live, I
always start thinking about what a businessman can learn from
them in order to become successful and that is what this article
is about.
1. VisionBald eagles are birds that can often be found on very high
altitudes. There they soar and with their very sharp eyesight
they have a clear view on the world below them and especially
on the prey they want to catch; fish, that is what they like
most.They can see the milky white spot in the water from a
distance of many miles. In high places they build their nests.
On a rock, on the top of a tree but always on a spot where they
have a good view on the world that surrounds them. And from
their castle they see what is happening around them and that
gives security.
The businessman should also have a clear view on what is
happening in the market. From very far he should recognize his
potential customers and "attack" them at the right moment. At
the same time he should be aware of the dangers that surround
him, anticipate, absorb the environment and be prepared to act
immediately.
2. KnowledgeBald eagles are confined to their territories. With the seasons
some migrate but you find bald eagles only in a specific habitat
namely forests, mountains and near sea and rivers. You won't
find them in the desert. In their habitat they know what to do,
where they can find prey and which dangers surround them. By
instinct and by learning they have knowledge about the way they
have to conduct their lives and about how they have to behave
in this habitat. They will never go beyond the limitations of this
frame work. If they do, they die.
This holds a lesson for the businessman. He should know
everything about his business and when I say everything, I mean
everything. He should know all about the products he sells from
beginning to end, every detail should be an open book to him.
He can never be surprised with questions on which he has no
answers. He should know about marketing techniques, the
position and plans of competitors etc., etc. And if he doesn't
possess this knowledge by nature, he has to learn it.
3. Enough is enoughWhen Bald Eagles catch prey, they will catch only one fish at a
time. It is not possible for them to catch more. But they know
precisely how to catch this one fish. Their flying skills, their
strong talons and their eyesight are extremely well developed
and fit for the job. Almost every attempt to catch a prey is
successful.
This phenomenom also holds a wise lesson for the businessman.
He has to restrict himself to a number of products he can handle
and products that matches his skills and abilities. To stay in
the animal world: if you are a cow don't try to jump fences like
a horse. People will only laugh at you. It is better to sell one
product very well than ten without a satisfying result.
4. CourageBald eagles mate for life and they are absolutely loyal to each
other. From high altitudes the two birds tumble down in a
dangerous free fall. Mocking the laws of gravity they unite.
Only just above the tree tops they separate and fly wing by wing
to the nest. This spectacular show requires great courage. A
businessman also needs courage to be successful. He has to make
decisions about difficult and uncertain subjects. And he also
needs to know when to stop his free fall. Having courage to make
difficult decisions is not synonymous for being reckless. A
decision that leads to disaster is not a decision, but a wild
guess.
You see....the businessman can learn a great deal from this
majestic bird that embodies not only beauty, strength and
freedom but that possesses also the essential conditions and
abilities to survive.
The beginning businessman as well, who is maybe starting his
business in great uncertainty about the future, can learn from
the bald eagle:
Flying high starts with spreading your wings!
according to his scientific name. I have this passion as long as
I can remember. But it is not a logical passion. I am Dutch and
a passion for a bird of prey that is common in The Netherlands
would be more obvious. But life is full of inexplicable surprises
and left me with this passion for the bald eagle, the national
symbol of the United States of America. I have seen the
eagles only once in my life in their natural habitat and that
was during a holiday in British Columbia in Canada.
When I read about bald eagles and about the way they live, I
always start thinking about what a businessman can learn from
them in order to become successful and that is what this article
is about.
1. VisionBald eagles are birds that can often be found on very high
altitudes. There they soar and with their very sharp eyesight
they have a clear view on the world below them and especially
on the prey they want to catch; fish, that is what they like
most.They can see the milky white spot in the water from a
distance of many miles. In high places they build their nests.
On a rock, on the top of a tree but always on a spot where they
have a good view on the world that surrounds them. And from
their castle they see what is happening around them and that
gives security.
The businessman should also have a clear view on what is
happening in the market. From very far he should recognize his
potential customers and "attack" them at the right moment. At
the same time he should be aware of the dangers that surround
him, anticipate, absorb the environment and be prepared to act
immediately.
2. KnowledgeBald eagles are confined to their territories. With the seasons
some migrate but you find bald eagles only in a specific habitat
namely forests, mountains and near sea and rivers. You won't
find them in the desert. In their habitat they know what to do,
where they can find prey and which dangers surround them. By
instinct and by learning they have knowledge about the way they
have to conduct their lives and about how they have to behave
in this habitat. They will never go beyond the limitations of this
frame work. If they do, they die.
This holds a lesson for the businessman. He should know
everything about his business and when I say everything, I mean
everything. He should know all about the products he sells from
beginning to end, every detail should be an open book to him.
He can never be surprised with questions on which he has no
answers. He should know about marketing techniques, the
position and plans of competitors etc., etc. And if he doesn't
possess this knowledge by nature, he has to learn it.
3. Enough is enoughWhen Bald Eagles catch prey, they will catch only one fish at a
time. It is not possible for them to catch more. But they know
precisely how to catch this one fish. Their flying skills, their
strong talons and their eyesight are extremely well developed
and fit for the job. Almost every attempt to catch a prey is
successful.
This phenomenom also holds a wise lesson for the businessman.
He has to restrict himself to a number of products he can handle
and products that matches his skills and abilities. To stay in
the animal world: if you are a cow don't try to jump fences like
a horse. People will only laugh at you. It is better to sell one
product very well than ten without a satisfying result.
4. CourageBald eagles mate for life and they are absolutely loyal to each
other. From high altitudes the two birds tumble down in a
dangerous free fall. Mocking the laws of gravity they unite.
Only just above the tree tops they separate and fly wing by wing
to the nest. This spectacular show requires great courage. A
businessman also needs courage to be successful. He has to make
decisions about difficult and uncertain subjects. And he also
needs to know when to stop his free fall. Having courage to make
difficult decisions is not synonymous for being reckless. A
decision that leads to disaster is not a decision, but a wild
guess.
You see....the businessman can learn a great deal from this
majestic bird that embodies not only beauty, strength and
freedom but that possesses also the essential conditions and
abilities to survive.
The beginning businessman as well, who is maybe starting his
business in great uncertainty about the future, can learn from
the bald eagle:
Flying high starts with spreading your wings!
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