Harvey
Mackay tells the following story about a son asking his mother what he
needs to do to be a success when he grows up.
“The
mother thought for a moment, and then told her son to bring her a pencil. Puzzled, the boy found a pencil and gave it
to her.
“If
you want to do good,” she said, “you have to be just like this pencil.”
“What
does that mean?” her son asked.
“First,”
she said, “like a pencil, you’ll be able to do a lot of things, but not on your
own. You have to allow yourself to be
held in someone’s hand.”
The
mother is talking about teamwork. You
can’t do it all by yourself. Mackay
defines teamwork as a collection of diverse individuals who respect each other
and are committed to each other’s success.
You can’t be successful without a committed team working with you.
“Second,”
she said, “like a pencil, you’ll have to go through a painful sharpening from
time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil.
Giving
and taking criticism is not easy task, but it is necessary to become better. No one ever choked to death swallowing his or
her own pride. Accepting honest
criticism or a suggestion will make you better than you were before.
“Third,
like a pencil, you’ll be able to correct any mistakes you make,” she said.
Everyone
makes mistakes. That’s one way you
learn. Mistakes don’t make you a
failure. There are really no mistakes in
life, there are only lessons.
“Fourth,
like a pencil, no matter what you look like on the outside, the most important
part will always be what’s on the inside.
Most
people aren’t born with self-confidence.
Mackay’s advice to develop self-confidence is: track your success,
practice being assertive, accept that failure is not the end of the world, step
out of your comfort zone, set goals, keep improving your skills and above all
else, don’t compare yourself to others.
“And
fifth,” the mother finished, “like a pencil, you’ll have to press hard to make
a mark.”
Success
comes before work only in the dictionary.
There is no magic formula or magic wand.
Even people with natural talent or skills, continually hone those
talents or skills with lots of hard work and practice.
The
mother touched on five important topics – teamwork, being able to accept
criticism, correcting mistakes, self-confidence, and working hard. That’s good advice for all of us.
Rev.
Robert Schuller says there are four kinds of people: "First, there are the
cop-outs. These people set no goals and make no decisions.
"Second,
there are the hold-outs. They have a beautiful dream, but they’re afraid to
respond to its challenge because they aren’t sure they can make it. These
people have lost all childlike faith.
"Third,
there are the drop-outs. They start to make their dream come true. They know
their role. They set their goals, but when the going gets tough, they quit.
They don’t pay the toll.
"Finally,
there are the all-outs. They are the people who know their role. They want and
need and are going to be stars: star students, star parents, star waitresses.
They want to shine out as an inspiration to others. They set their goals. . . .
The all-outs never quit. Even when the toll gets heavy, they’re dedicated. They’re
committed."
To
be committed, you must be "all in." You can’t just do the best you
can. You have to do everything you can. Remember, the difference between 100
percent ‘all in’ and 99 percent ‘all in’ is 100 percent.
When I think of commitment, I think of the
story of the Pig and the Chicken walking down the road.
The Chicken says: "Hey Pig, I was
thinking we should open a restaurant!"
The
Pig replies: "Hmmm, what would we call it?"
The
Chicken responds: "How about “Ham-n-Eggs?”"
The
Pig thinks for a moment and says: "No thanks. I’d be committed, but you’d
only be involved!"
