SUCCESS: "Do or do not. There is no try."

Being a student of successful global business models and motivational wisdom, this week want to highlight my baker's dozen quotes for success.

1. "A goal is a dream with a deadline." - Napoleon Hill
2. "Business opportunities are like buses, there's always another one coming." - Richard Branson
3. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi
4. "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." - Albert Einstein
5. "To think is easy. To act is difficult. To act as one thinks is the most difficult." - Johann Wolfgang Von Goeth
6. "You miss 100 percent of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky
7. "Business has only two functions - marketing and innovation." - Peter Drucker
8. "Your time is precious, so don't waste it living someone else's life." - Steve Jobs
9. "Those who say it can not be done, should not interrupt those doing it." - Chinese Proverb
10. "High expectations are the key to everything." - Sam Walton
11. "All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney
12. "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." - Thomas A. Edison
13. "Choose a job that you like and you will never have to work a day in your life." - Confucius

The common themes in above quotes that have inspired my life include:

• Hard Work - If you are simply waiting to get lucky, good luck. The foundation to being successful today is lots of hard work. With the world moving at Internet speed, no matter what position you currently hold, the current business environment requires constant business re-education. Holding still with skills learned early in your career is a recipe for an unhappy retirement. Technology today makes it possible for everyone to achieve self-actualization. Through hard work, be a very active participant in the shaping of your life. The key to success is not your boss or your company. It is you, intentionally exceeding personal and professional expectations.
• Innovation - Your value in the business world is increasingly defined by your ability to innovate. The most successful companies inspire their employees to constantly innovate, no matter their rank in the organization. New ideas are everywhere. Get inspired by being an innovation agent to constantly improve both personally and professionally. Be visible through innovation.
• Risk taking - Taking measured risks is one of the most important elements for success. Being afraid or actually fighting change is a recipe for business and personal disaster. In today's fast technological environment, change is the new norm. Understanding that the world will move on with or without you should be a motivational element to measured risk taking. Be the master of your future, not an unwilling passenger that misses all the key opportunities for a prosperous life.
• Deadlines - In both business and in life you should have defined written goals. The goals should have a specific deadline and periodic reviews to understand progress towards success. Always remember that life itself has a deadline that is out of your control. Don't waste your waking moments hoping that one day you will achieve your dreams. Make the choices now to shape the career and life that you want.
• Leadership - Everyone has within them the potential to be a leader. It starts with high personal expectations. It builds by self-awareness of personal / professional skills and how to enhance them over time. Add people skills to the mix - encourage everyone to do better, actively contribute new ideas, and inspire others through teamwork. Remember that leadership skills are essential to a fulfilling life. No matter where you are in the organization, at the minimum your family is looking at you as a role model. Lead from the front in all aspects of your life and you will never look back to ask that very difficult "what if" question.

The keys to success are under your control. Hard work, innovation, measured risk taking, goals with deadlines, and leadership are the foundational elements on which to build your personal and professional journey. Take charge of your destiny. As Yoda would say, "Do or do not. There is no try."

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