Business Success: What It Is And How To
Get It
By Tom Egelhoff
 Success! We all say we want it, but what
is it? For many it's ...money! You're successful if you have
a lot of money. So, if you and your wife both make a lot of money
does that mean you have a successful marriage? How many millions
was Mother Theresa worth when she died? Do you honestly believe
Bill Gates shows up for work every Monday morning for the money?
It sounds like we need a definition for success that goes
beyond just money. One of the best is from Dennis E. Waitley,
Ph.D's book, "The Psychology of Winning." He
describes success as, "The day by day progression toward
a worthwhile goal or dream." Successful people make a difference
in those around them. They set goals and work toward them.
What makes successful people successful?
If there is truly a secret to success, it's this: "Successful
people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling to do."
Successful people see the vision of their business as it will
be, not as it is today. This vision can present some problems
for small business owners.
In a small town, you are very close to your market. In small
towns, people know you...and your history. In large cities you
can maintain a certain amount of anonymity as you work your plan.
In small towns, you are often an open book. People see you as
you are, not where you are going. You have a plan they don't
see.
The pigeonhole
As you go through your business life you will find that people
tend to put you into categories. These categories are based on
their perception of who THEY think you are.
If your vision of success conflicts with who or what they
think you are they will be skeptical of your chances. Here's
a little history lesson that demonstates this opinion.
The Wright Brothers
In the late 1800's the United States and Spain went to war.
The US Congress wanted to invest $50,000 for someone to build
a controllable, powered airplane. Orville and Wilbur Wright,
two bicycle repairmen in Dayton, Ohio, were hard at work on the
project. Did Congress select them to get the money? Not on your
life.
Superior intelligence was needed for this project. Congress
selected Samuel Langley, astronomer and Secretary of the Smithsonian
Institution in Washington, DC. If anyone could do it, they felt,
Langley could.
Langley joined forces with Charles Manly and Stephen Balzar
to create a new type of engine for the plane. The very successful
engine was capable of 53 horsepower, unheard of at the time.
However, Langly's airplane design was not so successful. In 1903,
two flight attempts went straight into the Potomac River. Langley
and his team would never fly again.
Two weeks later, the Wright Brothers made their first successful
flight at Kitty Hawk. Langley became a laughing stock having
been beaten by "two bicycle repairmen." He never fully
recovered his former reputation from this defeat.
The real advantage of the Wright Brothers
What advantage did the Wright Brothers have over Langley,
Manly and Balzar? They didn't have the $50,000 to help out. They
didn't have the confidence of the US Congress.
Their real advantage was - they were not expected to do
it. The only pressure put on the Wright Brothers to be successful
was put on by themselves. Their personal goal to fly. Not for
anyone else but for themselves.
That is where real success lies. Success is the perception
of what we do in our own minds, not in the minds of others. Others
will see it eventually, you get to see it now.
The last word on success
Successful people do what unsuccessful people are unwilling
to do. I think that bares repeating. Is success easy? No. It
isn't. What is easy however is to design a plan or goal and work
toward it just a little every day.
Great basketball players take just a few more shots each day
than the average player. Great golfers spend just a little more
time on the driving range than the average golfer. Great business
people spend just a little more time studying their industry
than the average business person.
Successful people in all walks of life get up one more time
than they are knocked down. History is full of people who had
no right to be successful. Time after time adversity knocked
them down. Time after time they got back up. They simply would
not be denied.
Isn't it about time for you to get back up?
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This article may be reproduced for your non-profit
group or organization provided it is not altered in any way and
the following is attached:
©1998 - 2004 Eagle Marketing PO Box 271 Bozeman, MT
59771-0271
http://www.smalltownmarketing.com - (406) 585-0219 - Toll FREE
(888) 550-6100
email: tommail@smalltownmarketing.com
Based in Bozeman, MT, Tom Egelhoff is the author of How To Market, Advertise & Promote Your
Business Or Service In A Small Town, and The
Small Town Advertising Handbook: How To Say More And Spend Less.
He is also a seminar and workshop presenter
and trainer. He may be reached at 888-550-6100 or PO Box
271 Bozeman, MT 59771-0271
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