Successful people sometimes fail despite how hard they tried.
Unsuccessful people fail because they didn’t try at all.
Tag: Integrity
Never Give Up
What’s a promise you made to yourself that you’ve actually kept?
I’ve always had a reputation as someone who doesn’t give up when things get tough. That hasn’t always been the case. But I’ve always said, “Don’t tell me it can’t be done because that will only challenge me to find a way to do it.” And in trying to stick to that, I’ve achieved remarkable results, even if they weren’t earth shattering.
But that habit kept me going when my wife passed away, leaving me to raise two foster children, both under ten years of age. Many people thought I would give up. But sitting down to dinner with them, today, nearly nine years later, I haven’t given up. And I don’t intend to. I’ll stick to the task, hopefully until it’s finished. And if I don’t get there, it won’t be for lack of trying.
Read Widely
What’s one habit that has improved your life the most?
I’m a firm believer in keeping your mind active. People ask me what I do to relax and I say, “I study.” I read widely and keep learning. But there’s a warning attached.
Reading widely means we learn a little about a lot of subjects. We must never think we know it all. We must recognise the limits of our knowledge. We know enough to discuss matters intelligently. But that doesn’t make us experts. What it makes us is interested in others, empathetic.
So, read a wide range of subjects, but don’t boast about what you know. Use the little that you learn as a prompt to learn more. Ask questions of those who do know.
As it’s been said, the true knowledge is knowing how little we know.
What has it done for me? It’s allowed me to speak with a wide range of people without embarrassment. As Kipling put it, it’s allowed me to “walk with kings nor lose the common touch.”
What Counts is How Often You Get Up
What’s a chapter of your life you’d title “The Hard Years” — and what got you through it?
It’s easy to think about hard times. And it’s easy to give in to them.
But the reality is that it’s not the hard times that we have to worry about. It’s what we do about them.
Because it’s a true today as it’s always been. It doesn’t matter how many times you fall. What counts is how often you get up again. And only you can do that.
Want What You Have
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
I grew up in the town I’m now living in. But I haven’t always lived here.
I moved away when I was aged 20. I was away for 30 years. And I chose to come back “home”, 20 years ago.
But what I learned is that contentment comes from wanting what you have.
If you want what you have, then you’ll automatically have what you want.
