Advice from a mentor from 21 years ago that I continues to guide my life today

I keep a running list of the most impressive, impactful mentors in my life. These are people who have helped me in a significant and meaningful way and have impressed the hell out of me while doing it. 

Simply put, they are some of the best people I have known.

My plan is to write a book about these people and the lessons that they have taught me. 

The list currently stands at eight:

My former Scoutmaster, Donald PollockFormer sixth grade math teacher Mrs. ShultzFormer high school French teacher Lester MaroneyFormer English professor Pat SullivanFormer English professor Jackie LeBlancFormer McDonald's manager Jalloul MontacerFormer teaching colleague Donna GoskFormer principal Plato Karafelis

In searching for photos for a book proposal, I came across a note from Jalloul that he wrote to me in November of 1995, just before leaving the Hartford restaurant that I was managing while attending Trinity College. He offers a piece of advice that I thought worth sharing:

“The secret to success is being more energy-oriented than goal-oriented - seeing life in terms of constant progress and not pre-established ends.”

— Jalloul Monatcer

This may seem like the antithesis of someone like me who sets goals, publishes them online, and charts their progress monthly, but not true. I often achieve only about 60% of my goals in a given year and am comfortable with that degree of failure.

My goals remind me of my direction, but it is relentless, unending progress that I seek to achieve.

Jalloul taught me many important lessons. All of the people on my list did. Perhaps some day I will tell those stories.