But I learned the right way to pursue a goal from only one set of books -- biographies.
After reading biographies of about half of the past US presidents, reknowned scientists, great military leaders, business gurus, and artists; I found out that there is only way right way to pursuing a goal.
It's, probably, the one thing Socrates, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Carnegie, Michelangelo, William Shakespeare, Aristotle, Isaac Newton, Steve Jobs, Barack Obama, Walt Disney, Wolfgang Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Martin Luther King Jr, George Washington, Thomas Edison, Johannes Gutenberg, Mahatma Gandhi, Madame Marie Curie, Albert Einstein, Joan of Arc, Pablo Picasso, Leonardo da Vinci, and Aliko Dangote all have in common. They didn't give up on their goals.
And that's the only right way to pursue a goal -- to never give up.
Michangelo once spent 40 years on a project.
Abraham Lincoln went through a lot professional and personal setbacks before becoming the US president.
Thomas Edison was good at failing; I think he was better at it than succeeding.
Andrew Carnegie toiled his way up. Right from the lowliest job to becoming the 2nd richest man in world history.
Leonardo da Vinci is the man with the longest resume. He was a professional in almost every field.
Joan of Arc was a woman with no equal among men, in valour and in exploits. France will forever worship her.
Steve Jobs built the world's most innovative company from scratch, and twice.
Aliko Dangote works longer hours most of his staff.
Giving up is not in their dictionary. And that is the only right way to pursue a goal, any goal.
Titanic failed not because it sank, but because it wasn't rebuilt. Someone gave up. Noah's Ark was a success because Noah didn't give up. He kept rebuilting it.
You can have all the expertise, experience and money like the guys who built the Titanic, and still fail. But if you have just the determination Noah had, even with lack of expertise, technology and experience, you will achieve your goal.
Never Give Up.
Your article was really spot on.I want to add that the reason many people never reach their goals is that they never have a strong enough "Why". Why is it you do what you do?. When one doesn't have a compelling reason for that goal being pursued,it becomes very easy to get demotivated. I heard of a story of a girl who had to prepare for a medical drugs exam where she had to memorize 15 facts about 450 drugs.That was a lot of things to remember and she generally almost gave up.However,this girl always had a dream to work with Doctors without borders and help save lives in conflicts and war-ravaged places. What helped her was to focus on her "Why". She had to remember all these facts because one day in future,her knowledge would save someone,somewhere on the battlefield who depended on her. That is the strongest way to always make sure one never gives in,because there is a compelling enough reason.
ReplyDeleteThat's a very touching case you mentioned. I agree that a strong "Why" is invaluable.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!