Last Lecture
As I contemplated my last lecture, I really did wonder what the last words out of my mouth would be. What last speech would I wish to impart to all those emerging into this field? Considering I would die soon, my advice would have to be this:
Don't wait.
I have had ideas and dreams for years. A few of them I have seen to fruition, but the most of them would have to be lost to the wayside since I never got around to them. This happened for a few reasons. The first and most common was the lack of effort to go out and get it done, but the true tragedy came from those I gave up dreaming about since I was pretty sure I would never make it to my dream.
Earl Nightingale once said, "Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." If you truly want to get things done for your dream, then go do it! It might take a while. It might take a few failures first. But that is the beauty of it, for your determination to continue might be what makes your dream a reality.
I am not saying you should start your fortune 500 company while a freshman in college with no understanding of the application of what to do. But there are things you can do here and now to make your dream of tomorrow a reality. Learn, apply and understand what to do. Figure out where you will make a stand when it comes down to the hard decisions that might face you later. Find another person who has done the same thing you desire to do and learn from them. Determine what risks are acceptable and take those risks when the opportunity arises, whether that is today or 10 years from now.
All in all, understand this: the only way to really fail is to never try in the first place.
The best thing you can do to fulfill your dream is to prepare yourself to succeed. Understanding who you are and what you can accomplish, as well as what you are willing to sacrifice and what you will never let go of will build a sure foundation on which you can build your business. This way, while your business may collapse, it will not take your life with it; there will still be a solid foundation on which you can build another business. After all, the only way for your dream to succeed is if you are still around to accomplish it.
Don't wait.
I have had ideas and dreams for years. A few of them I have seen to fruition, but the most of them would have to be lost to the wayside since I never got around to them. This happened for a few reasons. The first and most common was the lack of effort to go out and get it done, but the true tragedy came from those I gave up dreaming about since I was pretty sure I would never make it to my dream.
Earl Nightingale once said, "Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway." If you truly want to get things done for your dream, then go do it! It might take a while. It might take a few failures first. But that is the beauty of it, for your determination to continue might be what makes your dream a reality.
I am not saying you should start your fortune 500 company while a freshman in college with no understanding of the application of what to do. But there are things you can do here and now to make your dream of tomorrow a reality. Learn, apply and understand what to do. Figure out where you will make a stand when it comes down to the hard decisions that might face you later. Find another person who has done the same thing you desire to do and learn from them. Determine what risks are acceptable and take those risks when the opportunity arises, whether that is today or 10 years from now.
All in all, understand this: the only way to really fail is to never try in the first place.
The best thing you can do to fulfill your dream is to prepare yourself to succeed. Understanding who you are and what you can accomplish, as well as what you are willing to sacrifice and what you will never let go of will build a sure foundation on which you can build your business. This way, while your business may collapse, it will not take your life with it; there will still be a solid foundation on which you can build another business. After all, the only way for your dream to succeed is if you are still around to accomplish it.
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