Tag Archives: success secrets

Being Kind as a Measure of Success?

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Mister Rogers told a story about a 100-yard dash at the Special Olympics: The starter’s gun went off, and the nine contestants started the race to the finish line. One of the competitors fell early and hurt his knee. He cried out, and when he did, the other runners, all of them, turned around and went back to him. They linked arms and crossed the finish line together. All of them were happy for their success. The crowd went wild. The story was popularized in a TV ad by the Foundation for a Better Life. This is based on an incident that happened in 1976. In that race, one of the runners fell and two others stopped to help him up. They finished the race together.

The implication of the story is that we are better off when we help others win and when everybody can win. In sports, we absolutely know that isn’t possible. There’s a winner and a lot of losers, especially if you believe the adage that second place is first loser. It doesn’t matter how much you train, how much effort you put in, or how much talent you have. If you don’t win, you lose. This is a hard way to live life, but it is also difficult to imagine 16 teams winning the Super Bowl. (Poor Jim Kelly, 4-time Super Bowl loser.)

How do we define success outside of sports? If it’s the cutthroat, second-place-is-first-loser philosophy, aren’t we selling our humanity short? Mister Rogers said that the three keys to success were to be kind, be kind, be kind. What happens when we start trying to outkind each other? What would it look like to be in first place at being kind? Kindness starts with being kind to yourself, and it doesn’t end there.

Sources: Life’s Journeys According to Mister Rogers: Things to Remember Along the Way by Fred Rogers (2005).

Snopes: Special Olympics Linked Arms Race Finish accessed 8/11/2024.

Use Dean Graziosi’s ‘Millionaire Success Habits’ to Make Success Habitual

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Yes, I broke down and ordered Dean Graziosi’s “Millionaire Success Habits.” If you’re not familiar with Graziosi, he has made his money in real estate, motivational speaking, and is working on what he and Tony Robbins call “The Knowledge Industry Business,” and he wants to share everything he’s learned with you.

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The Secrets to Creativity and Success

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The steps to success and becoming more creative are the same because the essence of creativity breeds the success that humankind was made for. Before the first chapter of “Everything All at Once” and just after the table of contents, Bill Nye sums up his steps for successfully changing the world with a bullet point list.

The first point he makes is that “Everyone you’ll ever meet knows something you don’t.” Teams have brought the world several innovations from the Walt Disney Company to Steve Jobs’ Apple, it’s been the teamwork that made the dreamwork. Individuals can have singular breakthroughs, but it takes a group dedicated to the same goal to make something truly extraordinary. At the very least, learning what someone else knows allows you to make more connections with what you already know.

“Constraints provide opportunities.” Creativity shines when there are rules, regulations and constraints involved. Creativity, in everyday use, is about problem-solving. The constraints provide the way that creativity is to be used.

“Question before you believe.” Brainstorming is the essence of questioning before you believe. No idea should be criticized and no suggestion is too far out there. The beginning of coming up with creative solutions is eliminate inhibitions and beliefs about projects. The idea that seems the furthest out there may be the one that sparks the best solution.

“Change your mind when you need to.” Creative endeavors lead to mistakes. They lead to dead ends. Sometimes, they are implemented before all the facts are known. It’s important to be able to change direction when a better solution presents itself.

“Be optimistic; be responsible; be persistent.” Optimism is curvilinearly related to creativity. Responsibility to yourself to use your creative talent will allow you to improve your creativity. Persistence is the key to success and creativity. You have to be able to stick to your path even when others are saying it won’t work.

Creativity is a meta-skill. Like success, it doesn’t come from just one place or affect just one aspect of a person’s life. Being creative won’t guarantee that you’ll be successful in the way that the world sees it; Van Gogh died a pauper. It does, however, mean you’ll be successful in fulfilling your own potential and finding the destiny you choose rather than the one society and industry have planned for you.

Read more about creativity. Get “Disneyland Is Creativity: 25 Tips for Becoming More Creative.” Get “Penguinate! Essays and Short Stories: Improve Your Creativity for a Better Life and World.” Preorder “The Haunted Mansion Is Creativity.”