“Whether you think you can or you think you can’t–you are right.” -Ford
You are your thoughts. Your thoughts determine your future. Your thoughts define the person you are. “You become what you think about most of the time.” –Earl Nightingale
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If you want respect, carry yourself in a way that commands it.
Respect isn’t easily or quickly given to you. You earn it by the way you carry yourself. This includes your confidence, demeanor, attitude, and approach to life.
Dress for success.
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The MBA & the Fisherman
An MBA student graduates and decides to celebrate with a trip to a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman pulled in and docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The MBA complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, “Only a little while, senor.” The MBA then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish. The Mexican said he this is all he needs to feed his family. The MBA then asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The Mexican fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria. And I stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.” The MBA scoffed, “I got my MBA and I can help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds you can buy a bigger boat. With the money you make you can buy several boats and eventually you will have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution.”
“And what then, senor?” asked the fisherman.
“Well, then you would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The Mexican fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the MBA replied, “I’m not going to lie to you. It’s not quick. It will probably take 15 to 20 years.”
“But what then, senor?” asked the Mexican.
The MBA laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich—you would make millions!”
“Millions – then what, senor?”
The MBA said, “Then you could retire, move to a small coastal fishing village where you could sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
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Happiness is a Choice
Happiness is a choice. You choose to be happy. But it takes work to cultivate this mindset. It doesn’t always come naturally or immediately. It can take work, kind of like building a muscle. But if you dedicate yourself to this, you can eventually completely control your thoughts and mindset. When you can determine your thoughts, you determine your own happiness. In other words, happiness is just a thought away.
Happiness comes from training your mind to be happy.
Also managing expectations.
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Try not to notice….
There will be many times in your life when you worry about something. Your clothes, your car, the stain on your shirt… The funny thing is in your mind this will be a huge deal. But chances are no one will even notice. Even if they do notice that coffee stain on your shirt, they probably won’t care. So try not to make it a big deal in your mind. And don’t point it out to others or make excuses for it. They probably wouldn’t even notice!
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The “Nos” Don’t Matter
The Nos don’t matter. You can hear a hundred no’s but one yes is all you need to change your life. -
Tools, Not Answers
My purpose in life is not to give you the answers, but to give you the tools.
You will make dozens of important decisions each week of your life, especially in your 20s and 30s. If you need someone else to make those decisions for you, you’ll be bottlenecked without the ability to move forward. What you need are the TOOLS to be able to make decisions yourself.
What I do, as your father, is to train you on the tools and how to make decisions independently.
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Brains AND Brawn
There’s a dangerous mentality that if you just put in the work and sacrifice enough then you will be successful. That’s absolutely necessary, but almost never sufficient.
If the willing to do the hard work and sacrifice is the “brawn,” then you also need “brains.” You have to be VERY smart about the moves make, why you make them, and how it sets you up for future success.
Brawn is not enough — you have to be really smart and make the right decisions along the way.
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Heartbreak
Heartbreak is a fact of life. There’s no way around it, and there’s no way to avoid it. Later in life, when you look back, it might actually be a good thing. You get to know yourself better, you learn from any mistakes you may have made, and you better learn/understand what you are looking for in a life partner.
You are going to live a long, LONG time. And the person you choose as your partner will either pull you down or push you higher than you ever thought possible. So the best move is to wait for the right person and never rush the process.
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Burn the Boats
“Burn the boats as you enter the island and you will take the island.” -Napolean Hill
If you’re in something, get in it. If you’re not in it, get out. You need to fully commit.