I meet with a set of friends on a monthy basis where we discuss all sorts of things including success and how to achieve it. The other day we talked about why it is that so few people achieve optimal success as against the majority that coasts along in life, either hoping for a miracle or simply accepcting how things are. We all agreed that people don't necessarily opt for mediocrity. It just simply becaomes a pattern for living. Well, that's the conclusion I have come to!
And before we start suggesting that the successful have been born wealthy, or entrepreneurial, or with excessive business acumen, let me assure you that this is generally not the case. Many of them are from fairly ordinary backgrounds, often from backgrounds where they were actively discouraged to take risks, told to get an education, or a job, and to stay safe, but they pressed on with their dreams and they made it! They had a vision which they always kept in focus.
You see, we have the habit of coasting through life blaming our failure to be successful on where and how we entered this planet, or on how much money our parents had, or the kind of education we were privy to, or how the share market spat on you. Yes, to some extent things, events, will impact on a person's life. But how you deal with the events and impacts is entirely up to you. It's your life, your painting, your call!
A few days ago one of the world's most inspirational business leaders and philosophers, Jim Rohn, died. Jim had much to say about success, about taking responsibility for your life, and about being the best we can be. But one of his quotes that resonate with me is this one.
"There are only three colors, ten digits, and seven notes. It's what we do with them, that's important."
So think about that. With just three colours, artist Claude Monet painted the delightful Water Lilies, Field of Poppies, and the Park at Monceau. He was not deterred by three colours. Rather he was inspired by the mixing and blending, and the experimentation with texture and shade, to produce such breathtaking art works.
And then there is Ray Crooke whose paintings of far north Queensland and the Pacific Islands, manage to capture a particular opalescent, dreaminess. His portrayals of everyday rituals such as people picking flowers or simply sitting around talking, delicately capture the lifestyle of the area - with three colours!
"To own a Ray Crooke is to possess a passport to reverie".
Think about our ten-digit number system. It's simple, easy to understand, and yet able to track business systems, keep accurate bank records, and enable us to trade daily. It's a finite set of numbers that serves us all well.
And then, there are those seven beautiful notes that in their combination and harmony, can transport us heavenly, dispel our tensions, and lull us to sleep. Just seven notes, seven notes producing millions of melodies, from soothing to synchopathic.
It follows then, that if we can view three colours, seven notes, or ten digits, as the talents that we have been given, it follows that we then have the power to develop those same talents. But we clearly must believe that we can do so. Envisioning what we want to achieve is one step along the way.
Being successful does not demand the highest formal education, it does not demand that we know absolutely where we are going from one day to the next, but it does demand that we set goals, see them clearly in our minds, and appraise them on a regular basis.
So much of this is to do with our dreams. Dreams are what propel us forward, keep us grounded, keep us moving, and help us to stay determined, and be!
I've just finished reading a book called 'Kings in Grass Castles'. It's a biography of an Australian pioneering family, the Duracks. Patrick Durack left Western Ireland for Australia in 1853. He was the founding member of a dynasty of pioneers who built an empire of cattle land across the far reaches of Australia.
Undoubtedly Patrick was a dreamer, but one whose feet were firmly planted in reality. Despite the many criticisms meted out by the myriad of dreamstealers at the time, he nonetheless pressed on to establish an inspirational dynasty. He was a dreamer, a visionary, who inspired others to achieve and through his dreaming, proved that where there's a will, there is a way.
You know, Jim Rohn says, "If you don't design your own life plan, chances are you'll fall into someone else's life plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much! Let others lead small lives, but not you! Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else's hands, but not you."
Dare to dream, live your dream, and be!
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