Take my advice: Take other people’s advice.
The bookshelves at the library are filled with books on
success. Whether you want to find seven secrets of success, think
and grow rich, stop sweating the little things, or learn to put first
things first: There’s a world of great advice out there.
In addition, you know lots of successful people.
Think about it and look around. In your work, through your
neighbors, and at the local stores you visit, the world is full of people
who are working hard and doing well.
As you talk to these people—and read these books—you’ll
find an abundance of great advice.
Take it.
As humans, we seem always to be seeking advice. But
for some reason we resist taking the advice we seek! The
first time I read The Greatest Secret in the World, I was struck
with Og Mandino's attitude. He starts out by saying that most people
who start the book won’t finish it and most people won’t take the advice
and do the exercises. Almost no one will take his advice.
And he’s right. He’s also correct that those who
do take his advice will be more successful than those who don’t.
So why not take his advice?
What’s up with us as humans that we can’t take advice we
know we should take?
I can’t summarize all the good advice in the world, but I
can give some examples.
If you read ten pages a day of some book on success, that’s
3650 pages a year. That’s a lot of books. I hope this is the
absolute minimum you are willing to commit to your own success and
happiness. It’s equivalent to at least ten books a year.
[Stop: You’ve just been given advice.
Why won’t you do it???]
And in these ten books you are very likely to come across
each of the following pieces of advice in at least six of the books:
 |
Exercise at
least three or four times a week. |
|
Take time
regularly to focus on your goals. |
|
Write down
your goals. |
|
Read books on
anything and apply it to your success. |
|
Do something
to reduce stress regularly (quiet time, meditation, relaxation exercise,
etc.) |
|
Write down
your values and your “mission statement.” |
|
Develop a
process for planning your day, your week, your month, your year. |
|
Do something
every day to focus on success—even for a few minutes. |
You will read all kinds of variations on these themes.
You will see them again and again and again.
You will be told many times that daily relaxation exercises
and focusing on success are the keys to happiness, balance, and wealth.
There should be no doubt in your mind that the road to your success is a
variation on these themes.
And
You
Won’t
Do
It.
Most people accept intellectually that they need to do
these things. But for some reason only a few people ever take this
advice.
I don’t know why. Perhaps we’ve all worked so hard to
get where we are that we don’t have the energy to “start over” with a
program that requires work and attention and focus.
At a minimum, please keep up the reading. If you read
the advice enough times, perhaps you’ll try one thing. And then
another.
The great news is that its never too late. Anytime
that you decide to focus and spend a year of your life becoming
successful, you will be successful.
So please do at least one thing for yourself: get in
the habit of reading books on success. Someday when you have time to
actually become successful you can take the rest of the advice.
