Aspire
1.
Never give up when you truly believe. The person with big dreams is more
powerful than the one with all the facts - the smartest person in the
room seldom beats the one with the most passion.
2.
Believe in love at first sight - be open to instant infatuation with
respect to both people and business ideas.
3.
Never laugh at anyone’s dreams - no one has the right to opine upon
someone else’s desired future because no one can attest to the validity of an
unrealized dream.
4.
Find a job you like and you add five days to every week - I often
tell my children), “I never worked at day at my startups because we were having
too much fun.” Admittedly, not every day was a carnival, but I certainly
enjoyed the majority of my startup workdays.
5.
Every so often, let your spirit of adventure triumph over your good sense - good judgment
arises from mistakes, mistakes arise from bad judgment. Thus, a bit of
occasional bad judgment is good for you.
6. Great love and great achievements involve great risk - nothing
ventured, nothing gained. Go venture.
7. Never let the odds keep you from pursuing what you
know in your heart you were meant to do - entrepreneurs never
calculate probabilities, even if the chances are one in a million, “one” is all
you need to win.
8.
Never deprive anyone (including yourself) of hope, it might be all they have.
Be
Nice
9.
Be the first to say, “Hello” - always set a friendly tone with a warm smile, a hearty
handshake and a robust greeting.
10.
Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yard - and let
them keep the change.
11.
Be kinder than necessary - there is an infinite supply of kindness, so don’t fear
depleting it.
12.
Give people a second chance, but not a third - be nice, but not stupid.
13.
Be tough minded but tenderhearted - hold people accountable, but consider
uncontrollable factors that impact someone’s performance.
14.
Every so often, push your luck - push your luck slowly and deliberately,
but be ready to quickly pull back, as you often won’t know you have pushed your
luck too far, until after the fact.
15.
Win without boasting, lose without excuses - internalize your failures and
externalize your victories.
16.
When lending people money, be sure their character exceeds their collateral - honesty
matters, both yours and those with whom you associate.
17.
It’s not your job to get people to like you, it’s your job to like people - you can
only control your own actions and feelings, don’t try to control those of
others.
18.
Never resist a generous impulse - if you hesitate, you’ll quickly
rationalize a dozen reasons to act charitably… later. Unfortunately, “later”
rarely arrives.
19.
Fight fairly. Give generously. Laugh loudly. Love deeply.
Lead
21. Do your homework and know your facts, but remember
it’s passion that persuades - history is filled with passionate leaders, I know of
none that were unemotional.
22.
Ask someone you’d like to know to list five people they would most like to
meet. It will tell you a lot about them - consider using this as an
interviewing technique, you might be surprised by your candidates’ responses.
23.
The shortest way to get anywhere is to have good company - one of
the reasons I enjoyed my startups so much is that I had the pleasure of working
with fantastic teams comprised of smart, dedicated and kind people.
24.
Share your knowledge and you become immortal - mentoring matters, convey your
insights freely to those who seek them.
25.
Everyone wears an invisible sign that reads “Notice me. Make me feel
important.” - ask people questions about their passions and
achievements, almost no one can resist this temptation to talk about
themselves.
26.
Hire people more for their judgment than for their talents - forget
resumes and hire based on attitude and aptitude.
27.
When there’s a piano to be moved, don’t reach for the stool - lead by
example, never ask someone to do a task you would not do yourself.
28.
Once a month, go to lunch with someone who knows more about your business than
you do - you are never too old, too smart or too successful to
be a protégé.
29.
Celebrate even small victories - create a culture of celebration by
publically praising achievements that would otherwise not be visible to your
team.
30.
Plant more flowers than you pick
Succeed
31.
Learn to listen. Opportunity sometimes knocks very softly - everyone
experiences several “big breaks” during their careers. Unfortunately, most
people fail to recognize them when they occur.
32.
Strive for excellence, not perfection - activity beats contemplation
seven days a week.
33.
Judge your success by the degree you are enjoying your peace, health and love -
nurture
all three of these treasures to the point of abundance.
34.
Judge your success by what you had to give up to get it - as noted
above, not even the entire world is ample payment for your soul.
35. Remember that winners do what losers don’t want to do
- outwork
your competition and you will likely win.
36. Grind it out. Hanging on just one second longer than
your competition makes you the winner - outlast your competition,
survival is often what separates the winners from the losers.
37.
Take care of your reputation. It’s your most valuable asset - honesty
is a serial entrepreneurs most potent weapon.
38.
Watch for big problems. They disguise big opportunities - great
entrepreneurs turn challenges into breakthrough innovations. Embrace problems,
never flee from them.
39.
Earn your success based on service to others, not at the expense of others
Be
Happy
40.
Happiness is not based on possessions, power or prestige, but on relationships
with people you love and respect - if you doubt this wisdom, consider all
the rich, powerful and famous people who are miserable.
41.
After you’ve work hard to get what you want, take the time to enjoy it - in Startup Life, Brad Feld advises
entrepreneurs to spend 10% of the proceeds of a financial windfall on something
frivolous. What’s the point of accumulating capital if you never derive
pleasure from it?
42.
Don’t think you can relax yourself to happiness. Happiness comes as a result of
doing - as David Pink has noted, most people are
motivated by mastery, autonomy and purpose. These needs are heightened with
inactivity, which is why most happily retired people have active lives.
43.
Be happy with what you have while working for what you want
H. Jackson Brown,
http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngreathouse/2014/01/28/die-with-no-regrets-follow-these-43-life-lessons-2/
