Ken Poirot's Blog - Posts Tagged "successful"
IMPORTANT: My most important epiphany and message for others...
Epiphany: What Makes Someone Successful?
I had an epiphany last night that will transform your life...
I discovered the most important reason some people are successful and some people are not successful.
There is one fundamental difference, one simple distinction between the most important, successful leaders and historical figures in the world compared to the average person...one common characteristic that made them successful.
The good news is...once you have the answer, you will be well on your path to achieving the success in life you dream about.
Additionally, this answer is simple to implement and act upon. I will walk you through that step, taking action, later here in this blog.
I am even willing to say, this is the one piece of information that will be the reason you finally find success in life, once you take action on it.
Additional 1.5 Years of Thought
It has been almost a year since I published (almost 1.5 years since I completed writing), Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement.
Mentor Me was written to provide a real-world, practical (not just theoretical like so many books) guide for people to take positive action in life. It delivers tools to help people achieve their definition of ultimate success, in a concise, easy-to-read, and easy-to-implement package.
Many deeper themes are also written into Mentor Me in order to stimulate profound thoughts about life...some of these themes are subtle and some are not-so-subtle.
Within its pages are the mindset, exercises, and useful tools to help people on their journey to fulfill their Greatest Achievement (GA).
The Thought Process to The Answer
First a few questions, then I will provide the answer to what makes someone successful.
You deserve to have the answer and to achieve the success you dream of in life.
I will ask you for something in return...share this blog and this information with others.
Please help someone else achieve their dreams and their definition of success in life.
My Question for You
Who are you and what is most important to you in life?
In other words, how do you define yourself and your life?
This seems like a very fundamental question. Yet, if I asked you this question in person right now, could you communicate your answer succinctly and effectively?
Try it right now. Please write down...how do you define yourself and your life?
I am guessing you are just like most of the people to whom I have posed that question...you are struggling with a concise definition of you.
The Answer
Having a deep-rooted knowledge, conviction, and belief of yourself, who you are and what is important to you, is the fundamental basis of focusing your life for success.
This is the biggest difference between those who are successful in life and those who are not.
Think of the most successful person you know...either someone personally or someone you admire; a contemporary or someone from history.
Think of the qualities that person exhibits or exhibited in history. They have a "presence" when they enter a room. People are naturally attracted to them, want to follow them, and to be a part of their lives. Why?
...because this person knows who they are, they can define themselves, and concisely, effectively communicate that definition to others.
They have a direction in life and people want to follow them because it is our human nature to want to be a part of something bigger than us.
We all want to be in the presence of success, greatness, and inspirational leadership. It is our innate constitution to want to achieve, or be a part of something remarkable, earth-shattering, and truly great.
Everyone wants to have a greater purpose in life. Exceptional, charismatic leaders exude confidence and attract followers who believe in them. Their followers believe they will be taken to a place of greatest achievement in life, well above what they could have achieved on their own.
It all starts with defining yourself, having a solid, foundational belief in who you are, what is important to you, and the ability to communicate that effectively to others.
Once you can define yourself, radiate the confidence and belief in who you are, where you are going in life, and concisely, effectively communicate this to others...people will follow you and help you achieve your definition of success.
The X Factor
Last night I realized, that is the difference between great leaders throughout history and the rest of the population.
Some call it the "X Factor." Yet, to my knowledge, no one has succinctly defined the "X Factor" and told you how to construct your own "X Factor"...until today.
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Alexander the Great, George Washington, Mohatma Gahndi, Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ, etc... all the great and historically relevant leaders in the world:
If you asked any of them, they could answer that question, how do you define yourself and your life?
Any one of them could readily define themselves, radiate confidence in their belief of that definition, and concisely communicate that definition effectively to others.
Deliberately I used diverse names from varied backgrounds, such as, innovative business leaders, nation or empire builders, names synonymous with peace and love, and religious leaders in my example above to make a point...you define you.
Whatever defines you and is most important to you is up to you.
Your definition may be with respect to your profession, your business, your community, your family, your religion, etc...
...it can be anything as long as it is yours and you define it. Your definition of you and your purpose of being is yours to decide and yours alone, which leads me to my next point:
Define Yourself; Do Not Let Others Define You
Once you have constructed your definition of you, you believe it with conviction, and you can communicate it effectively to others...then nothing anyone else says can truly harm you.
Your definition of you is like a suit of armor protecting you in the battles of every day life.
Once you have this deep-rooted belief and understanding of who you are and what is most important to you, then anything anyone else says to you outside of this definition cannot penetrate the emotional armor you have donned.
Anything anyone says will bounce off and be discarded by your conscious and subconscious mind if it is not congruent, or in alignment with, your deep-rooted conviction of your definition of you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement, there is constructive and destructive criticism.
When you have a firm belief and definition of yourself, you can easily shrug off any destructive criticism of you, with the true knowledge and belief it is not accurate, or worthy of a second thought from you.
Your definition of you is like an impenetrable tank, protecting you every second of each day from words of jealousy, hatred, bullying, or abuse.
You Will Be Unstoppable In Achieving Success
By establishing your definition of you, you will attract people to you who will reinforce your positive self image.
People will want to help, nurture, and follow you, while you ward off and repel those who want to harm you, or feed you destructive criticism.
Furthermore, your definition of you will provide you the confidence, direction, and focus in life to achieve your greatest accomplishments.
It will be the guiding principal for your life, directing you to success and making course corrections to your targeted goals like an unstoppable, guided missile.
Some people define themselves through their profession, career, family, relationships, affiliation with groups, church, religion, etc... your definition is completely individualized and it will encompass all that is most important to you.
So how do you physically, concisely, and effectively do this? How do you define yourself and your life? How do you write this down in a way that is easily communicated to others?
Define You: The IBT Model
Last night I came up with a model, or framework, to help people define themselves, write it down, and concisely, effectively communicate this definition to others; I call it the IBT Model.
Write down on a piece of paper the following three words, leaving space between them so you can fill in the blanks.
Write:
I
By
Through
Then think about how you will define you and what is most important to you:
"I" is who you are.
"By" states how you accomplish who you are and your life purpose in relation to you.
"Through" states what medium you use to accomplish your life purpose.
So take some time right now, think about you, your life, and what is most important to you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "Something magical happens when we put down what we want on a piece of paper, verbalize it, visualize it, define it, and allow ourselves to experience it…We can program ourselves to have it!"
Your Definition of You in Writing
Write it down, believe it with conviction, and communicate it effectively to others.
I will share what I wrote last night as my definition of me as an example:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
The people I help can be friends, family, a member of a group I am affiliated with, someone in my community, etc...anyone. It is an all encompassing definition of me.
In order to easily share this with others, I created a photo quote which is located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Once you write down your definition of you, refer to it each day. It will be the guiding force for your life, your being, and drive you toward success.
Having this written statement, your deeply-rooted definition of you, is the difference between the greatest leaders and historical figures of all time versus the average person.
You now have the foundation to truly achieve your definition of success.
Help Others and Continue Your Journey
Share this blog with others, help them define themselves, and take the next step...map out your blueprint to achieve your dreams.
In Mentor Me, I assemble the exercises and tools to help people define and achieve their lifelong goal(s), their Greatest Achievement (GA).
After all, you have seen my definition of me:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
Now that you have your definition of you, pick up a copy of Mentor Me and continue your journey:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Continue on your path to achieving your definition of success...your Greatest Achievement (GA).
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
I had an epiphany last night that will transform your life...
I discovered the most important reason some people are successful and some people are not successful.
There is one fundamental difference, one simple distinction between the most important, successful leaders and historical figures in the world compared to the average person...one common characteristic that made them successful.
The good news is...once you have the answer, you will be well on your path to achieving the success in life you dream about.
Additionally, this answer is simple to implement and act upon. I will walk you through that step, taking action, later here in this blog.
I am even willing to say, this is the one piece of information that will be the reason you finally find success in life, once you take action on it.
Additional 1.5 Years of Thought
It has been almost a year since I published (almost 1.5 years since I completed writing), Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement.
Mentor Me was written to provide a real-world, practical (not just theoretical like so many books) guide for people to take positive action in life. It delivers tools to help people achieve their definition of ultimate success, in a concise, easy-to-read, and easy-to-implement package.
Many deeper themes are also written into Mentor Me in order to stimulate profound thoughts about life...some of these themes are subtle and some are not-so-subtle.
Within its pages are the mindset, exercises, and useful tools to help people on their journey to fulfill their Greatest Achievement (GA).
The Thought Process to The Answer
First a few questions, then I will provide the answer to what makes someone successful.
You deserve to have the answer and to achieve the success you dream of in life.
I will ask you for something in return...share this blog and this information with others.
Please help someone else achieve their dreams and their definition of success in life.
My Question for You
Who are you and what is most important to you in life?
In other words, how do you define yourself and your life?
This seems like a very fundamental question. Yet, if I asked you this question in person right now, could you communicate your answer succinctly and effectively?
Try it right now. Please write down...how do you define yourself and your life?
I am guessing you are just like most of the people to whom I have posed that question...you are struggling with a concise definition of you.
The Answer
Having a deep-rooted knowledge, conviction, and belief of yourself, who you are and what is important to you, is the fundamental basis of focusing your life for success.
This is the biggest difference between those who are successful in life and those who are not.
Think of the most successful person you know...either someone personally or someone you admire; a contemporary or someone from history.
Think of the qualities that person exhibits or exhibited in history. They have a "presence" when they enter a room. People are naturally attracted to them, want to follow them, and to be a part of their lives. Why?
...because this person knows who they are, they can define themselves, and concisely, effectively communicate that definition to others.
They have a direction in life and people want to follow them because it is our human nature to want to be a part of something bigger than us.
We all want to be in the presence of success, greatness, and inspirational leadership. It is our innate constitution to want to achieve, or be a part of something remarkable, earth-shattering, and truly great.
Everyone wants to have a greater purpose in life. Exceptional, charismatic leaders exude confidence and attract followers who believe in them. Their followers believe they will be taken to a place of greatest achievement in life, well above what they could have achieved on their own.
It all starts with defining yourself, having a solid, foundational belief in who you are, what is important to you, and the ability to communicate that effectively to others.
Once you can define yourself, radiate the confidence and belief in who you are, where you are going in life, and concisely, effectively communicate this to others...people will follow you and help you achieve your definition of success.
The X Factor
Last night I realized, that is the difference between great leaders throughout history and the rest of the population.
Some call it the "X Factor." Yet, to my knowledge, no one has succinctly defined the "X Factor" and told you how to construct your own "X Factor"...until today.
Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Alexander the Great, George Washington, Mohatma Gahndi, Mother Teresa, Jesus Christ, etc... all the great and historically relevant leaders in the world:
If you asked any of them, they could answer that question, how do you define yourself and your life?
Any one of them could readily define themselves, radiate confidence in their belief of that definition, and concisely communicate that definition effectively to others.
Deliberately I used diverse names from varied backgrounds, such as, innovative business leaders, nation or empire builders, names synonymous with peace and love, and religious leaders in my example above to make a point...you define you.
Whatever defines you and is most important to you is up to you.
Your definition may be with respect to your profession, your business, your community, your family, your religion, etc...
...it can be anything as long as it is yours and you define it. Your definition of you and your purpose of being is yours to decide and yours alone, which leads me to my next point:
Define Yourself; Do Not Let Others Define You
Once you have constructed your definition of you, you believe it with conviction, and you can communicate it effectively to others...then nothing anyone else says can truly harm you.
Your definition of you is like a suit of armor protecting you in the battles of every day life.
Once you have this deep-rooted belief and understanding of who you are and what is most important to you, then anything anyone else says to you outside of this definition cannot penetrate the emotional armor you have donned.
Anything anyone says will bounce off and be discarded by your conscious and subconscious mind if it is not congruent, or in alignment with, your deep-rooted conviction of your definition of you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement, there is constructive and destructive criticism.
When you have a firm belief and definition of yourself, you can easily shrug off any destructive criticism of you, with the true knowledge and belief it is not accurate, or worthy of a second thought from you.
Your definition of you is like an impenetrable tank, protecting you every second of each day from words of jealousy, hatred, bullying, or abuse.
You Will Be Unstoppable In Achieving Success
By establishing your definition of you, you will attract people to you who will reinforce your positive self image.
People will want to help, nurture, and follow you, while you ward off and repel those who want to harm you, or feed you destructive criticism.
Furthermore, your definition of you will provide you the confidence, direction, and focus in life to achieve your greatest accomplishments.
It will be the guiding principal for your life, directing you to success and making course corrections to your targeted goals like an unstoppable, guided missile.
Some people define themselves through their profession, career, family, relationships, affiliation with groups, church, religion, etc... your definition is completely individualized and it will encompass all that is most important to you.
So how do you physically, concisely, and effectively do this? How do you define yourself and your life? How do you write this down in a way that is easily communicated to others?
Define You: The IBT Model
Last night I came up with a model, or framework, to help people define themselves, write it down, and concisely, effectively communicate this definition to others; I call it the IBT Model.
Write down on a piece of paper the following three words, leaving space between them so you can fill in the blanks.
Write:
I
By
Through
Then think about how you will define you and what is most important to you:
"I" is who you are.
"By" states how you accomplish who you are and your life purpose in relation to you.
"Through" states what medium you use to accomplish your life purpose.
So take some time right now, think about you, your life, and what is most important to you.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "Something magical happens when we put down what we want on a piece of paper, verbalize it, visualize it, define it, and allow ourselves to experience it…We can program ourselves to have it!"
Your Definition of You in Writing
Write it down, believe it with conviction, and communicate it effectively to others.
I will share what I wrote last night as my definition of me as an example:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
The people I help can be friends, family, a member of a group I am affiliated with, someone in my community, etc...anyone. It is an all encompassing definition of me.
In order to easily share this with others, I created a photo quote which is located here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Once you write down your definition of you, refer to it each day. It will be the guiding force for your life, your being, and drive you toward success.
Having this written statement, your deeply-rooted definition of you, is the difference between the greatest leaders and historical figures of all time versus the average person.
You now have the foundation to truly achieve your definition of success.
Help Others and Continue Your Journey
Share this blog with others, help them define themselves, and take the next step...map out your blueprint to achieve your dreams.
In Mentor Me, I assemble the exercises and tools to help people define and achieve their lifelong goal(s), their Greatest Achievement (GA).
After all, you have seen my definition of me:
"I help people define and achieve their definition of success by providing information, motivation, and inspiration through writing books and coaching."
Now that you have your definition of you, pick up a copy of Mentor Me and continue your journey:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Continue on your path to achieving your definition of success...your Greatest Achievement (GA).
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me Hits #1 Bestseller on Amazon...
Mentor Me Hit #1 Bestseller on Amazon today for Journal Writing Self-Help!
Here is the photo of this milestone:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Thank you all for your support!
You are the best!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Here is the photo of this milestone:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Thank you all for your support!
You are the best!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
The Three Keys to Success...
The Three Keys to Success in Mentor Me
I discovered a pattern while working with (and studying) successful people throughout my lifetime, including almost twenty years in the financial services industry.
This pattern revealed successful people use a common core skill set in order to obtain success. In addition, I realized this information could be assembled, taught, and learned.
I call this core skill set: the three keys to success.
So what are these three keys to success and how can you use them to transform your life?
Success is unlocked by the proper implementation of these three keys :
1) Goal Setting
2) Time Management
3) Life Skills
The following graphic summarizes this concept:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Properly use these three keys and anyone can transform their life!
Specifically, the benefits are the following:
- Goal Setting helps people get focused
- Time Management helps people be focused
- Life Skills help people stay focused
With this in mind, Mentor Me methodically walks readers through utilizing these three critical keys in order to create their definition of success.
Over the years I read a myriad of books on these topics, many of which seemed condescending, painfully boring, and/or theoretical. For these reasons, Mentor Me favors a different approach.
It has been described by readers as conversational, interactive, and fun, even with some "smile moments" thrown in for good measure.
Additionally, Mentor Me is designed so readers will benefit as they finish and implement each section of the book, producing an immediate, positive impact on their lives!
Goal Setting: Get Focused
Goal Setting is the first key to achieving success. It is important to define and structure goals, but to do so starting with a completely open mind.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "Let's face it, the more time we have lived in this world, often the more jaded we become. Remember what life was like before someone ever told you, 'No...you can't?""
"...Children know no limits or boundaries. It is only through society and others telling us what we can and cannot do, what we can and cannot achieve, what we can or cannot accomplish in life, that we shrink or compress our beliefs in what we can achieve.
Ask yourself, what really changed in you from that time in your life, your childhood, when you knew no boundaries or limits? What changed in you when you were a child who dreamed and fantasized about the life you wanted someday?
You will find nothing changed except your beliefs, most likely due to what others and society told you. The only thing that really changed was your belief in yourself and what you believed you could do with your life."
"...It is time to believe again, to believe in yourself and the truth.
You have no boundaries in what you can achieve. "
For this reason, Mentor Me is designed to expand horizons once again, opening readers minds to the realization they are in control of their lives and therefore, their ultimate success.
Chapter I is a guide through this thought process, to help readers get focused by covering how to:
- Start with no structure –“…dream BIG like a child.”
- Visualize the life they want (their Greatest Achievement)
- Add structure to define goals (Elements of a goal, SMART)
Time Management: Be Focused
Mentor Me demonstrates how to directly use time management (be focused) in order to achieve the specific goals readers target for themselves.
It also covers time management in a novel way, using time-tested, real-world strategies, including one exclusively devised by me.
In chapter II, readers set up their blueprint to achieve their own definition of success by learning to:
- Focus their Time (T) and Energy (E) with their goals in mind
- Set up a weekly calendar to move one step closer to goal achievement
- Schedule most important activities ("Big Rocks") first
- Avoid burnout (“High Impact and Low Impact Days Strategy")
Life Skills: Stay Focused
Finally, I realized in addition to the first two keys to success, the most successful people have better-developed life skills than the average person.
These highly-developed life skills help successful people stay focused on their quest to achieve their goals.
This section of Mentor Me contains the tools necessary to stay on track, beginning with a chapter titled, "Understanding Personality Styles."
A deeper understanding of one's own personality style, as well as how one can best relate to other people, is a fundamental building block to help gain and keep others' support on the road to success.
Chapter III includes a personality style quiz and information that readers (and a professional reviewer) have said is one of the most beneficial (and fun) chapters of the book.
Within the life skills chapters, readers learn how to:
- Better understand themselves and relate/communicate more effectively with others
- Absorb new information in less time
- Motivate themselves and others
- Cope with life’s unexpected Situations
- Handle conflict and inspire others
Mentor Me is written to keep readers coming back, referring to it as a helpful guide.
For those readers who are searching for more profound themes, many of these have also been woven into the fabric of Mentor Me.
Some of these themes are subtle while some are not so subtle.
This is truly a book readers can enjoy over and over again on many different levels.
Find out why some have called Mentor Me, "revolutionary" and why it has been quoted around the world!
Enjoy the practicality of the three keys to success, how to use them to transform your life, and the book's deeper themes in pursuit of your goals.
Pick up your copy of Mentor Me here today:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Use the three keys to success, based upon a lifetime of work, delivered with practical, real-world experience, packaged concisely into Mentor Me, and live your dreams!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
I discovered a pattern while working with (and studying) successful people throughout my lifetime, including almost twenty years in the financial services industry.
This pattern revealed successful people use a common core skill set in order to obtain success. In addition, I realized this information could be assembled, taught, and learned.
I call this core skill set: the three keys to success.
So what are these three keys to success and how can you use them to transform your life?
Success is unlocked by the proper implementation of these three keys :
1) Goal Setting
2) Time Management
3) Life Skills
The following graphic summarizes this concept:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
Properly use these three keys and anyone can transform their life!
Specifically, the benefits are the following:
- Goal Setting helps people get focused
- Time Management helps people be focused
- Life Skills help people stay focused
With this in mind, Mentor Me methodically walks readers through utilizing these three critical keys in order to create their definition of success.
Over the years I read a myriad of books on these topics, many of which seemed condescending, painfully boring, and/or theoretical. For these reasons, Mentor Me favors a different approach.
It has been described by readers as conversational, interactive, and fun, even with some "smile moments" thrown in for good measure.
Additionally, Mentor Me is designed so readers will benefit as they finish and implement each section of the book, producing an immediate, positive impact on their lives!
Goal Setting: Get Focused
Goal Setting is the first key to achieving success. It is important to define and structure goals, but to do so starting with a completely open mind.
As I wrote in Mentor Me, "Let's face it, the more time we have lived in this world, often the more jaded we become. Remember what life was like before someone ever told you, 'No...you can't?""
"...Children know no limits or boundaries. It is only through society and others telling us what we can and cannot do, what we can and cannot achieve, what we can or cannot accomplish in life, that we shrink or compress our beliefs in what we can achieve.
Ask yourself, what really changed in you from that time in your life, your childhood, when you knew no boundaries or limits? What changed in you when you were a child who dreamed and fantasized about the life you wanted someday?
You will find nothing changed except your beliefs, most likely due to what others and society told you. The only thing that really changed was your belief in yourself and what you believed you could do with your life."
"...It is time to believe again, to believe in yourself and the truth.
You have no boundaries in what you can achieve. "
For this reason, Mentor Me is designed to expand horizons once again, opening readers minds to the realization they are in control of their lives and therefore, their ultimate success.
Chapter I is a guide through this thought process, to help readers get focused by covering how to:
- Start with no structure –“…dream BIG like a child.”
- Visualize the life they want (their Greatest Achievement)
- Add structure to define goals (Elements of a goal, SMART)
Time Management: Be Focused
Mentor Me demonstrates how to directly use time management (be focused) in order to achieve the specific goals readers target for themselves.
It also covers time management in a novel way, using time-tested, real-world strategies, including one exclusively devised by me.
In chapter II, readers set up their blueprint to achieve their own definition of success by learning to:
- Focus their Time (T) and Energy (E) with their goals in mind
- Set up a weekly calendar to move one step closer to goal achievement
- Schedule most important activities ("Big Rocks") first
- Avoid burnout (“High Impact and Low Impact Days Strategy")
Life Skills: Stay Focused
Finally, I realized in addition to the first two keys to success, the most successful people have better-developed life skills than the average person.
These highly-developed life skills help successful people stay focused on their quest to achieve their goals.
This section of Mentor Me contains the tools necessary to stay on track, beginning with a chapter titled, "Understanding Personality Styles."
A deeper understanding of one's own personality style, as well as how one can best relate to other people, is a fundamental building block to help gain and keep others' support on the road to success.
Chapter III includes a personality style quiz and information that readers (and a professional reviewer) have said is one of the most beneficial (and fun) chapters of the book.
Within the life skills chapters, readers learn how to:
- Better understand themselves and relate/communicate more effectively with others
- Absorb new information in less time
- Motivate themselves and others
- Cope with life’s unexpected Situations
- Handle conflict and inspire others
Mentor Me is written to keep readers coming back, referring to it as a helpful guide.
For those readers who are searching for more profound themes, many of these have also been woven into the fabric of Mentor Me.
Some of these themes are subtle while some are not so subtle.
This is truly a book readers can enjoy over and over again on many different levels.
Find out why some have called Mentor Me, "revolutionary" and why it has been quoted around the world!
Enjoy the practicality of the three keys to success, how to use them to transform your life, and the book's deeper themes in pursuit of your goals.
Pick up your copy of Mentor Me here today:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KPGM28C
Use the three keys to success, based upon a lifetime of work, delivered with practical, real-world experience, packaged concisely into Mentor Me, and live your dreams!
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
The Pursuit of Greatness...
Success versus Greatness
In my last post I wrote about the "Three Keys to Success," namely:
1) Goal Setting
2) Time Management
3) Life Skills
If you have not read that post already, you can access it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
So what is the difference between success and greatness?
Success is very personal; everyone has their own definition of what constitutes success. For example, some people may have set financial goals, like accumulating a certain amount of money, attaining a specific level of annual income, or achieving complete financial freedom.
For others success may be creating a non-profit organization for a definitive cause in order to help others.
Someone else may measure success as channeling all their Time (T) and Energy (E) into the mastery of the arts, music, literature, a particular sport, etc...
In this way, success is a very individualized and personalized experience that has a different definition from one person to another. Since we all have divergent goals in life, therefore, success is subjective in the eye of the beholder; as such, success to you may not necessarily be seen as success by someone else.
Greatness takes success to an entirely different level and order of magnitude. In contrast to success, which is measured internally, true greatness is measured externally by its impact on society as a whole.
For some, their ultimate measure of success may be to attain greatness. For this reason, in addition to helping people achieve their definition of success, elements and exercises are incorporated into the design of Mentor Me to help people achieve greatness, if that is their personal ambition.
What are the Requirements to Achieve Greatness?
The first step in achieving greatness is to attain success. In addition to that, the ultimate fulfillment of true greatness necessitates an extraordinarily higher level of three further requirements, namely:
1) Sacrifice
2) Belief
3) Conviction
Greatness is defined by public recognition of the value of ones contributions to society, and therefore, true greatness is a bit more elusive to obtain than success.
Yes, success requires a degree of these three requirements above, but if your ultimate vision is to achieve greatness in life, you will have to take your personal sacrifice, belief, and conviction to an even higher level once you have reached success.
Let's look at three people in history who I think we can all agree realized true greatness.
Each of these individuals exhibited an extraordinary level of sacrifice, belief, and conviction in their lives, above and beyond their initial achievement of success.
Nevertheless, I will highlight one of these specific requirements over the other two, as I explore these individuals who exemplify greatness.
Sacrifice: Nikola Tesla
When I think of sacrifice , I think of Nikola Tesla. It can be argued that Tesla's work has touched virtually every man, woman, and child in the modern world.
His work with alternating current (with Westinghouse), including the very public opposition of Thomas Edison's direct current structure, eventually led to the adoption of alternating current as the more efficient world standard for electricity production and distribution.
Nikola Tesla sacrificed everything for his work. He was estranged from his family in Croatia and he never married. In fact, it is said he may never have had any romantic relationships in his life; he believed celibacy was important to keep him focused on his work.
Later on in life, as documented by a reporter, Tesla remarked, "Sometimes I feel that by not marrying, I made too great a sacrifice to my work ..."
When Tesla died, he was found by a maid in the Hotel New Yorker in New York City, alone, penniless, and in debt.
I was thinking about Tesla when I penned the quote, "Some journeys in life can only be traveled alone."
For this reason, this quote is portrayed with a photo of Nikola Tesla, which you can see here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
His life unfolds as a story of sacrifice and tragedy. One of his brothers died when he was only five years old, a prolonged nine month battle with cholera almost killed him multiple times, he never graduating from his university due to his gambling addiction and disagreements with his professor, he had many public fights with his one time mentor, Thomas Edison, he lost various patents when he was ousted from the first company he founded, and he had to resort to digging ditches just to survive at one point in his life.
Tesla sacrificed for his scientific work, for which he received great recognition. His success was so highly regarded by the scientific community during his lifetime, that it is said he was considered for a joint Nobel Prize with his nemesis Thomas Edison.
Tesla's greatness is immortalized by his many scientific awards, the impact of his work on society, the Tesla unit named after him (world standard unit for the measurement of magnetic flux density), Tesla Day in his native nation of Croatia, his photo gracing the cover of Time Magazine, an airport named after him, various planetary objects with his namesake, museums, his face on stamps and money, etc...
Throughout his life, Tesla exhibited all three of the requirements necessary for greatness; it was not just dependent on his personal sacrifice, he also had an extraordinary belief and conviction in his abilities, as well as the importance of his work.
Having said that, I see Tesla's life as the epitome of sacrifice.
Tesla was literally married to his work.
As a result, his contributions to the world earned him a level of greatness which transcends time.
Belief: Steve Jobs
When I think of the word belief , I think of Steve Jobs. What best defines his contributions to the world, technology, and the impact of his inventions on the average person, is Steve Jobs' belief. The driving force behind his achievements is his belief he could take complex technologies, make them fun, simple to use, and deliver this experience to the average person.
This belief permeated all the innovations Steve Jobs created. Jobs certainly sacrificed for his belief and vision of creating new, innovative, and intuitively easy-to-use technological products for the masses.
We need to look no further than his public dispute with the board of Apple to catch a glimpse into his sacrifices. One can't imagine what he must have been feeling when he was ousted from Apple in September 1985, the company he founded, due to his disagreements with Apple's Board of Directors.
Even at that point in his life, if he had just walked away from technology and business, he still would have achieved a staggering level of personal and professional success.
What makes Steve Jobs truly great is the fact he continued to pursue his core belief and create new, innovative products which never existed previously. He dreamed up these complex electronic devices, then designed them to be fun and intuitively user-friendly for the average person time and time again.
To me, Steve Jobs is the epitome of the word belief.
Of course, he also had the conviction to make his belief and vision come true.
There is no doubt, Steve Jobs had an unprecedented impact on the everyday lives of billions of people around the world. The user-friendly technologies he invented makes his greatness truly legendary.
Conviction: Benjamin Franklin
So what is the difference between belief and conviction?
Belief can change over time, but conviction is unwavering belief on steroids. Conviction is the unconditional faith that moves mountains, to paraphrase the Bible.
When I think of conviction, I think of Benjamin Franklin.
Yes, Benjamin Franklin also sacrificed much for his greatness. His own son, who Benjamin Franklin adored as his beloved companion early in his life, chose to side with England during The Revolutionary War. This created a painfully tragic rift between Benjamin Franklin and his son that was never repaired in their lifetime.
As the chief diplomat for the American colonies in England, France, and then again in England after The Revolutionary War, he spent a great deal of his life separated from his wife. In fact, he was in England when his wife died of a stroke in 1774. He later returned to America only after his work was done, in 1775.
Benjamin Franklin was the equivalent of an iconic celebrity, debutante, and rock star, all rolled into one in his day. He was a successful author, publisher, scientist, inventor, and diplomat known throughout the world.
He is one of those rare individuals who actually achieves greatness within his own lifetime.
What stands out for me the most though, is Benjamin Franklin's conviction. As mentioned earlier, belief can be changed; early in his life, Benjamin Franklin was loyal to England. This belief began to change as England flexed its muscles over the American colonists.
The final change for Benjamin Franklin, turning his belief into conviction for American independence, resulted from the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party. After this event, England's Privy Council summoned Benjamin Franklin into their court where they put him on "trial," verbally and publicly humiliating him.
Historians say Benjamin Franklin walked into that meeting with the belief in England and the American colonists reconciling their differences, but walked out with the conviction that independence from England was the only viable solution for America.
Benjamin Franklin biographer, Edwin S. Gaustaud, in his book, Benjamin Franklin: Inventing America, would write the following in reference to this meeting:
From Franklin's own words, his belief in compromise gave way to a new belief, and deep-rooted conviction for the need of American independence from England.
Benjamin Franklin is later credited with his diplomacy in France turning the tide of The American Revolution. Through Franklin's diplomacy, ultimately convincing the French to support America with money, arms, troops, and their navy, France gave America the necessary resources to decisively defeat the world's superpower, England, in order to gain independence.
Yes, the man paid the sacrifice and he exhibited belief, but what really sets Benjamin Franklin apart is his conviction to the American cause of independence.
This conviction solidified his greatness, which echoes throughout the fabric of time.
Without Benjamin Franklin's conviction, and ability to win France's support, it can be argued the American colonists may not have prevailed against England.
What Price are you Willing to Pay for Greatness?
As we can see from the examples of these three individuals who achieved true greatness, greatness is a much more elusive achievement beyond success.
All of these historical figures were successful, and additionally, each of them took their success further by their extraordinary fulfillment of the three requirements for greatness:
1) Sacrifice
2) Belief
3) Conviction
As we have seen, success is only the first step on the road to greatness.
The biggest question is, once you achieve your definition of success, are you willing to increase your level of sacrifice, belief, and conviction to pursue greatness?
If so, you may be among those few in history who achieve true greatness.
You may be like Nikola Tesla, Steve Jobs, or Benjamin Franklin, and your pursuit of greatness may positively affect billions of other people, as well as all of society forever.
Realize you may never know within your lifetime how many lives you may ultimately influence. ...but know that if you decide to pursue greatness, your life may have a ripple effect on the world that lives in perpetuity throughout the ocean of time.
If you resolve to start your pursuit of greatness, if you are willing to sacrifice, if you are strong in your belief, and take this belief to the level of true conviction, know that you can achieve greatness!
The question is: what do you want from your time in this world? Do you want success, or do you want to dedicate your life to the pursuit of greatness?
Either way, Mentor Me can help you design your blueprint, provide the tools necessary to achieve success, and guide you on your journey in pursuit of true greatness, if that is the dream you choose to pursue...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
In my last post I wrote about the "Three Keys to Success," namely:
1) Goal Setting
2) Time Management
3) Life Skills
If you have not read that post already, you can access it here:
https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog...
So what is the difference between success and greatness?
Success is very personal; everyone has their own definition of what constitutes success. For example, some people may have set financial goals, like accumulating a certain amount of money, attaining a specific level of annual income, or achieving complete financial freedom.
For others success may be creating a non-profit organization for a definitive cause in order to help others.
Someone else may measure success as channeling all their Time (T) and Energy (E) into the mastery of the arts, music, literature, a particular sport, etc...
In this way, success is a very individualized and personalized experience that has a different definition from one person to another. Since we all have divergent goals in life, therefore, success is subjective in the eye of the beholder; as such, success to you may not necessarily be seen as success by someone else.
Greatness takes success to an entirely different level and order of magnitude. In contrast to success, which is measured internally, true greatness is measured externally by its impact on society as a whole.
For some, their ultimate measure of success may be to attain greatness. For this reason, in addition to helping people achieve their definition of success, elements and exercises are incorporated into the design of Mentor Me to help people achieve greatness, if that is their personal ambition.
What are the Requirements to Achieve Greatness?
The first step in achieving greatness is to attain success. In addition to that, the ultimate fulfillment of true greatness necessitates an extraordinarily higher level of three further requirements, namely:
1) Sacrifice
2) Belief
3) Conviction
Greatness is defined by public recognition of the value of ones contributions to society, and therefore, true greatness is a bit more elusive to obtain than success.
Yes, success requires a degree of these three requirements above, but if your ultimate vision is to achieve greatness in life, you will have to take your personal sacrifice, belief, and conviction to an even higher level once you have reached success.
Let's look at three people in history who I think we can all agree realized true greatness.
Each of these individuals exhibited an extraordinary level of sacrifice, belief, and conviction in their lives, above and beyond their initial achievement of success.
Nevertheless, I will highlight one of these specific requirements over the other two, as I explore these individuals who exemplify greatness.
Sacrifice: Nikola Tesla
When I think of sacrifice , I think of Nikola Tesla. It can be argued that Tesla's work has touched virtually every man, woman, and child in the modern world.
His work with alternating current (with Westinghouse), including the very public opposition of Thomas Edison's direct current structure, eventually led to the adoption of alternating current as the more efficient world standard for electricity production and distribution.
Nikola Tesla sacrificed everything for his work. He was estranged from his family in Croatia and he never married. In fact, it is said he may never have had any romantic relationships in his life; he believed celibacy was important to keep him focused on his work.
Later on in life, as documented by a reporter, Tesla remarked, "Sometimes I feel that by not marrying, I made too great a sacrifice to my work ..."
When Tesla died, he was found by a maid in the Hotel New Yorker in New York City, alone, penniless, and in debt.
I was thinking about Tesla when I penned the quote, "Some journeys in life can only be traveled alone."
For this reason, this quote is portrayed with a photo of Nikola Tesla, which you can see here:
https://www.goodreads.com/photo/autho...
His life unfolds as a story of sacrifice and tragedy. One of his brothers died when he was only five years old, a prolonged nine month battle with cholera almost killed him multiple times, he never graduating from his university due to his gambling addiction and disagreements with his professor, he had many public fights with his one time mentor, Thomas Edison, he lost various patents when he was ousted from the first company he founded, and he had to resort to digging ditches just to survive at one point in his life.
Tesla sacrificed for his scientific work, for which he received great recognition. His success was so highly regarded by the scientific community during his lifetime, that it is said he was considered for a joint Nobel Prize with his nemesis Thomas Edison.
Tesla's greatness is immortalized by his many scientific awards, the impact of his work on society, the Tesla unit named after him (world standard unit for the measurement of magnetic flux density), Tesla Day in his native nation of Croatia, his photo gracing the cover of Time Magazine, an airport named after him, various planetary objects with his namesake, museums, his face on stamps and money, etc...
Throughout his life, Tesla exhibited all three of the requirements necessary for greatness; it was not just dependent on his personal sacrifice, he also had an extraordinary belief and conviction in his abilities, as well as the importance of his work.
Having said that, I see Tesla's life as the epitome of sacrifice.
Tesla was literally married to his work.
As a result, his contributions to the world earned him a level of greatness which transcends time.
Belief: Steve Jobs
When I think of the word belief , I think of Steve Jobs. What best defines his contributions to the world, technology, and the impact of his inventions on the average person, is Steve Jobs' belief. The driving force behind his achievements is his belief he could take complex technologies, make them fun, simple to use, and deliver this experience to the average person.
This belief permeated all the innovations Steve Jobs created. Jobs certainly sacrificed for his belief and vision of creating new, innovative, and intuitively easy-to-use technological products for the masses.
We need to look no further than his public dispute with the board of Apple to catch a glimpse into his sacrifices. One can't imagine what he must have been feeling when he was ousted from Apple in September 1985, the company he founded, due to his disagreements with Apple's Board of Directors.
Even at that point in his life, if he had just walked away from technology and business, he still would have achieved a staggering level of personal and professional success.
What makes Steve Jobs truly great is the fact he continued to pursue his core belief and create new, innovative products which never existed previously. He dreamed up these complex electronic devices, then designed them to be fun and intuitively user-friendly for the average person time and time again.
To me, Steve Jobs is the epitome of the word belief.
Of course, he also had the conviction to make his belief and vision come true.
There is no doubt, Steve Jobs had an unprecedented impact on the everyday lives of billions of people around the world. The user-friendly technologies he invented makes his greatness truly legendary.
Conviction: Benjamin Franklin
So what is the difference between belief and conviction?
Belief can change over time, but conviction is unwavering belief on steroids. Conviction is the unconditional faith that moves mountains, to paraphrase the Bible.
When I think of conviction, I think of Benjamin Franklin.
Yes, Benjamin Franklin also sacrificed much for his greatness. His own son, who Benjamin Franklin adored as his beloved companion early in his life, chose to side with England during The Revolutionary War. This created a painfully tragic rift between Benjamin Franklin and his son that was never repaired in their lifetime.
As the chief diplomat for the American colonies in England, France, and then again in England after The Revolutionary War, he spent a great deal of his life separated from his wife. In fact, he was in England when his wife died of a stroke in 1774. He later returned to America only after his work was done, in 1775.
Benjamin Franklin was the equivalent of an iconic celebrity, debutante, and rock star, all rolled into one in his day. He was a successful author, publisher, scientist, inventor, and diplomat known throughout the world.
He is one of those rare individuals who actually achieves greatness within his own lifetime.
What stands out for me the most though, is Benjamin Franklin's conviction. As mentioned earlier, belief can be changed; early in his life, Benjamin Franklin was loyal to England. This belief began to change as England flexed its muscles over the American colonists.
The final change for Benjamin Franklin, turning his belief into conviction for American independence, resulted from the aftermath of the Boston Tea Party. After this event, England's Privy Council summoned Benjamin Franklin into their court where they put him on "trial," verbally and publicly humiliating him.
Historians say Benjamin Franklin walked into that meeting with the belief in England and the American colonists reconciling their differences, but walked out with the conviction that independence from England was the only viable solution for America.
Benjamin Franklin biographer, Edwin S. Gaustaud, in his book, Benjamin Franklin: Inventing America, would write the following in reference to this meeting:
"He now referred to England as 'this old rotten state' and its ministers as the very embodiment of 'extreme corruption.' Why should the colonies any longer consider union with Britain as a great good to be pursued, he wondered. 'I apprehend, therefore,' he wrote to Joseph Galloway, a Philadelphia friend on February 18, 1774, 'that to unite us intimately will only be to corrupt and poison us also.'
To Charles Thomson, another friend, Franklin wrote four days after his 'trial' that those who berated him had the never to claim 'soveignty over three millions of virtuous, sensible people in America,' but in fact 'appeared to have scarce discretion enough to govern a herd of swine.'
These strong words came from a man of gentle wit who usually practiced conciliation and compromise. But not after his humiliating experience before the Privy Council in January 1774."
From Franklin's own words, his belief in compromise gave way to a new belief, and deep-rooted conviction for the need of American independence from England.
Benjamin Franklin is later credited with his diplomacy in France turning the tide of The American Revolution. Through Franklin's diplomacy, ultimately convincing the French to support America with money, arms, troops, and their navy, France gave America the necessary resources to decisively defeat the world's superpower, England, in order to gain independence.
Yes, the man paid the sacrifice and he exhibited belief, but what really sets Benjamin Franklin apart is his conviction to the American cause of independence.
This conviction solidified his greatness, which echoes throughout the fabric of time.
Without Benjamin Franklin's conviction, and ability to win France's support, it can be argued the American colonists may not have prevailed against England.
What Price are you Willing to Pay for Greatness?
As we can see from the examples of these three individuals who achieved true greatness, greatness is a much more elusive achievement beyond success.
All of these historical figures were successful, and additionally, each of them took their success further by their extraordinary fulfillment of the three requirements for greatness:
1) Sacrifice
2) Belief
3) Conviction
As we have seen, success is only the first step on the road to greatness.
The biggest question is, once you achieve your definition of success, are you willing to increase your level of sacrifice, belief, and conviction to pursue greatness?
If so, you may be among those few in history who achieve true greatness.
You may be like Nikola Tesla, Steve Jobs, or Benjamin Franklin, and your pursuit of greatness may positively affect billions of other people, as well as all of society forever.
Realize you may never know within your lifetime how many lives you may ultimately influence. ...but know that if you decide to pursue greatness, your life may have a ripple effect on the world that lives in perpetuity throughout the ocean of time.
If you resolve to start your pursuit of greatness, if you are willing to sacrifice, if you are strong in your belief, and take this belief to the level of true conviction, know that you can achieve greatness!
The question is: what do you want from your time in this world? Do you want success, or do you want to dedicate your life to the pursuit of greatness?
Either way, Mentor Me can help you design your blueprint, provide the tools necessary to achieve success, and guide you on your journey in pursuit of true greatness, if that is the dream you choose to pursue...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
Radio Interview: Upcoming Appearance on The Author Show...
Today: Radio Interview Broadcast on The Authors Show!
You can listen to the interview here by going to the link and then scrolling up to the top interview:
http://www.wnbnetworkwest.com/WnbAuth...
The following is the press release which announced this appearance:
http://www.freepublicitygroup.com/new...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
You can listen to the interview here by going to the link and then scrolling up to the top interview:
http://www.wnbnetworkwest.com/WnbAuth...
The following is the press release which announced this appearance:
http://www.freepublicitygroup.com/new...
Warmly,
Ken Poirot
Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement
Ken Poirot
