Humility

Humility is the catalyst to my growth. Now that I've started at this pace- reading and writing for hours and hours each day, I simply cannot stop. 

We are each born with this innate ability to learn. That is the human experience. Unfortunately, we are hard-wired to not be successful in modern times. We are taught that there is only one way to learn and grow: listen, memorize, regurgitate. Be a good student, intern, and then employee and that will bring you to the good life. Well, that's not for me. Success and understanding take time. I'm building a foundation so strong nobody will be able to bring me down.

You must go to bed every night removing one piece of ignorance you have picked up through life. 

 

Value

Today I've already learned so much- a myriad of small, personal triumphs. It is days like this that I feel my wide eyes and curious mind. 

I re-read Peter Drucker's 'Managing Oneself.' It is a contradictorily simple yet challenging pocket-sized book that I will likely read a dozen times. It encouraged me to not think about what my career or business pursuits should be but rather, more broadly, what should my contribution be? Oftentimes, I puzzle myself with laundry lists of business ideas/desires, yet have trouble narrowing them down by which is most practical. Drucker asks me to ask myself: 

  1. What does my situation require?
  2. Given my strengths, my way of performing, and values, how can I make the greatest contribution to what needs to be done?
  3. What results have to be achieved to make a difference? 

I am diligently reading and writing, planning and dreaming, smiling and growing. I feel on top of the world.

“Successful careers are not planned. They develop when people are prepared for opportunities because they know their strengths, their method of work, and their values. Knowing where one belongs can transform an ordinary person- hardworking and competent but otherwise mediocre- into an outstanding performer.”