The Opposite of Success Is Not Failure

As the school year wraps up, thoughts turn to visits I've made to area high schools over the years as part of Career Day events.

Below, from a 2005 trek to Taft High School in Chicago, is an excerpt of a handout I gave students. I hope you find it edifying as well:

Read as often and as much as possible.

Find a mentor, or even multiple mentors.

Develop a business mindset (time & money are viewed as investments).
Beware of a job mindset (time & money are viewed as costs).

When others ask, “Why?”…Ask, “Why not?”
When others ask, “Why not?”…Ask, “Why?”

Knowledge isn’t power—but the application of knowledge in everyday life is!

The opposite of success is not failure, it’s quitting...In order to succeed, you must be willing to fail time and again. How many shots did Michael Jordan miss? How many potential customers do not shop from any given business on any given day? How many thousands of times did Thomas Edison’s experiments fail?

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”—Albert Einstein

Most ask, “What do I want to do?” (the focus is on the PROCESS)
Few ask, “How do I want to live?” (the focus is on the RESULT)