Let’s talk about some exciting ideas revolving around the subject of total and true success. We all know a few truths about success. They are well documented. Most of them appear in books already written and published.
Some truths about success, however, are not written about or even discussed in any length because not many folks really know much about them. Knowledge of these undocumented truths comes only from long term committed personal effort in the service of your fellow man. Unless you have been tirelessly serving other people in attempting to assist and help them succeed, you will never know about these truths. That is why I want to discuss them with you.
You will never succeed all by yourself. One is too small a number with which to attempt success. Think about it for a moment,…..the word team connotes more than one does it not? More than one is the norm for all successful teams.
Do you operate in your own business building efforts,… alone or with a team? Are you on someone else’s team right now? Do you head up your own team and if so, how many team players do you have on your team? The greater the size of the success-building team,… the greater will be the chances of it achieving success.
I suppose that the smallest sized team would consist of, at a minimum, two team players. There is no maximum upside size limitations of any successful team of which I am aware. I do know this…..the more team players, the greater will be the combined accumulated team effort. Furthermore, the more combined produced effort, the greater will be the produced results. More effort equals more results. Keep things simple and you will enhance your success.
Let’s get back to the concept of true success.
Success will occur in any person’s life when two things happen simultaneously. Success will occur when “Opportunity” and “Preparedness” meet, i.e. when they come together. It is a major focal point in any person’s life. Sadly, and all too often, when the good and valid business opportunity is presented to a given individual, they are not, for any myriad of reasons, adequately “prepared” to understand the opportunity,…to see it for what it really is, and consequently they are unable to receive it. The net result….Opportunity lost!
Now you may say,….“No Big Deal”….but…it is a big deal because lost opportunities are just that….they are lost,….not to be recovered,…not to be received again.
History is filled with great success stories of the right person being in the right place at the right time. And because he or she was properly positioned, when the opportunity was presented and the correct preparation was in place,…..Wallah……Success could occur. A new idea, a new and different concept, a needed better product or an innovative new business vehicle was conceived, spawned, or launched. The end results were that many great and glorious benefits and blessings came into being and many thousands of people’s lives were blessed,….were positively impacted,….or…..were significantly changed for the better.
When good opportunities are passed up or lost….everyone loses!
Do you recall in an earlier blog that I mentioned that the average person in America will get two good chances to achieve great success in the course of their own lifetime? Well, if you “miss” or “pass up” a great opportunity….particularly a proven one…. for any reason what-so-ever, that means then that you just cut your own chances of becoming successful by 50%. If the average person only gets two chances to make it big and he knowingly or even unknowingly throws one away, then he now has maybe only one opportunity left. But what if it never comes along? What if illness or an accident or any one of thousands of other distractions or derailments occurs in his life and the “second chance” never happens? I don’t know about you, but that just doesn’t seem too intelligent to me. Missed or passed opportunities benefit no one. Don’t let that happen to you. If you do, you will live to regret it!
Permit me to share my story regarding this subject. My wife and I were presented a business opportunity in February of 1977. The presenter had great credibility in my eyes, so I intently listened. Now I was totally prepared for this opportunity when it was presented to me,…. because I had already come to the conclusion that my CPA profession, as I was practicing it, was never going to provide me the blessings and benefits that I had originally thought and intended it to provide. I was working an average of over 100 hours a week. I was never at home with my family. I was tired. Worst of all I was 32 years old and broke. Something had to change in my life! Those were the facts. I was looking i.e. prepared for new opportunities in my life, and I was ready to make some major changes if necessary.
The opportunity had only been in existence for 17 years as of the night it was presented to me. Gross sales from operations were slightly over $300,000,000 for the previous year. Obviously the business I was shown worked and worked very well. No major investment of cash was required or put at risk. The opportunity was unlimited and the whole world was or would become the market place. All I had to do was learn a few simple work habits and then perform them to whatever level of income production I desired to achieve. I would be my own boss with no one telling what to do or how to do it …..unless I asked for advice and counsel. I really like things to work that way. I much prefer to call my own shots. How about you?
Now please listen carefully. If you are ever presented with an honest and legal ways and means or business opportunity that you may use or employ that will provide you the way to create total financial independence for you and/or your family, there are only two questions you need to ask concerning using it for yourself. Don’t ever try to “condition” your success. Accept it,… as it is,…as long as it passes these two questions. (1) Is it honest and legal? and (2) Does it violate any of God’s Laws or your fellow man’s rights? Any further requests or demands by you will almost always cause you to mess up and “miss” the opportunity. If the answers to the two questions are positive, then take advantage of the opportunity and go to work! Do not let the opportunity pass you by.
That is exactly what my wife, Jan, and I did 36 years ago. The opportunity just looked too good to be true…BUT… it was true and we began building our own business,…just like we were told…AND…it worked!!
Seventeen months later I was netting four times my CPA salary from my own part-time business. I had earned my freedom. I walked away from my profession as a free man on November 28, 1978 and never looked back. Last years sales figures had climbed to $11.3 Billion on a global basis. Today thousands of lives have been changed and benefitted because Jan and I said “yes” to a great opportunity and began serving other people and helping them to create their own success.
You can have anything in life that you want….if….you are first willing to help enough other people get what they want. That is indeed a true statement!
The best way to achieve success that lasts in your life is to build your success upon the success of other people first. Serve people and keep serving them. Help them to become successful first and your success will surely follow.
J. Paul Getty, known as one of the wealthiest men the world has ever produced, built his fortunes this very way. He was a multi-billionaire. What most folks do not know is that he helped, served and assisted over one hundred other men to first become multi-millionaires. His personal business building philosophy was simple. Mr. Getty said…..surround yourself with the most energetic and ambitious people you can find. Help them first to become extremely successful and wealthy. Do not worry about your own reward. It will come back to you automatically. This process is called God’s Law of Compensation.
God’s Law of sowing and reaping applies equally in all endeavors. When you help other people succeed before you succeed, your personal success is assured! What you Give…you shall receive.
It is a beautiful thing to watch happen……and it will happen for you when you put other people and their rewards first, ahead of your own as you live out your life.
So here is the correct priority schedule for the use of your time and resources. Here is the advised manner and direction of the expenditure of your spare time and spare money. Here is the batting order, if you will, for the way a true “Servant’s Heart” lives their life:
God………………. first
Other people…..second
Self…………………last
God’s Truth always prevails. Jesus was asked the question by His Disciples,….Who among us is the greatest? Christ responded with the real secret to all success on earth. He said, (see Mark 9:35 NKJV):
“If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
You now know the secret. There is only one remaining unanswered question……What are you going to do with this new knowledge?
Peace and love to all of you….Poppa Bear