My career started 28 years ago when I was a legal secretary. I was a bright and ambitious person with some gullible and naive tendencies. I was so anxious to prove myself as a competent “adult” at age 17, that I sometimes acted too serious and took things in a way that wasn’t intended.
One day, my boss came into my office and lamented that one of our construction company clients had developed some new land and now the “bobcats” had no where to go. I said, “my goodness, what are they going to do?” He said, “they don’t know yet” to which I replied, “isn’t it dangerous to have them running around out there?” It was at this point he realized that I thought that animals had been misplaced and were running amok when in fact, he was talking about Bobcat machines that no longer had a place to be located for the company’s future use.
That story has been told so many times over the years and still makes me laugh as well as anyone who hears it. It also reminds me of my roots since I now run a 60 person company which I helped build from scratch. It has been a long and interesting journey.
Along the way, here are some of the key lessons that I have learned that apply in business and in life:
1. Put family first. Friends come and go and teach us very valuable lessons, but your family will be there from start to finish. Treat them well.
2. Always err on the side of kindness. Being right may make you feel instant gratification, but it has a way of regressing into guilt when you realize that you had to make someone else wrong.
3. Give and receive. When you give you get back tenfold. But we need to receive in order to allow others to give, so be a gracious receiver as well whether it is a gift, a compliment or an opportunity.
4. Be tenacious. It is not no until it is no. It is always maybe. People who give up early are missing out on endless possibilities.
5. Laugh. Engage in humor whenever and wherever possible. Laughter is the spice of life. It diffuses difficult situations. It is healthy for your heart and spirit and it makes dull things fun.
I always say that I would love to go back to the age 17 if I knew then what I know now. The wisdom of the years of experience, coupled with the energy of youth, would make an unbelievable combination. But we cannot go back. We can only go forward and make each day the very best day it can be for that is all we really have.
Think of these lessons. Add them to your own. The world is your canvas. Create something wonderful!
____________
Jane Schulte is the founder of PRISM Business Advisors located in Greater Cincinnati. She is also the Author of WORK SMART, Not Hard! and BOLD Leadership. Please visit www.PRISMsuccess.com or more information.
-what are some key lessons you have learned in your life to this point which have been helpful in your attaining success? Share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.