Success Comes In Many Forms

The success that we experience in our lives, through school, through work, through our family and home, through the financial and ancillary rewards we receive, all of these successes are achieved through our own efforts and our own efforts alone. Very little in the way of tools and skills is given to us, by our parents, by our teachers, by our society, that will allow us to succeed.

Many people have a life of mediocrity because they take what is given to them and expect no more. The travesty of their life is that they were successfully taught not to expect anything more than mediocrity. When your teachers lead lives of mediocrity how can you be expected to grow beyond their teachings?

When I set out in 2001 to establish a software company I wrote out some goals for it. One of those goals, which frequently come up in conversation with others, is how big I want my software company to grow.

I tell them, “bigger than Microsoft.”

At which point the person I am talking with invariably scoffs.

And I always have a prepared comeback for them.

In 30 years time I want to have a company bigger than Microsoft and I want more money than Bill Gates. So in 30 years I have exceeded all of my goals. My wildest dreams have come true. In the meantime, what did you do?

In 30 years time I want to have a company bigger than Microsoft and I want more money than Bill Gates. So in 30 years time I’ve failed and fallen far short of my goals and my company is only 50% of the size of Microsoft and I only have 50% of the money that Bill Gates has. In the meantime, what did you do?

So in 30 years time I fail and my company is only 10% of the size of Microsoft and I only have 10% of Bill Gates money, a measly quarter of a billion dollars to my name. And in the meantime, what did you do?

So in 30 years time I fail and I’m sleeping on a friend’s couch wondering what I am going to try next, but at least I tried, and I travelled an amazing journey. And in the meantime, what did you do?

Do you want to take an amazing adventure or do you just want to watch?

In that meantime, what are you going to do?

 

P.S. I failed. Catastrophically. Once. It doesn’t matter. Let’s take another adventure.