It Starts With You
The sum total of your experience, your interactions with others, and the challenges and opportunities you face serve to mold and ultimately transform you into the individual you are today. This transformation is a continual work in progress, as the learning process is an ongoing endeavor.
Learning comes about in many ways. The process is easy, and it is difficult. It is painful and pleasing. It is humbling, and it is rewarding. It is fraught with uncertainty as one anguishes about future outcomes. Oftentimes, you will feel you have no control over what is going on, which further adds to your anxiety and stress level. You will struggle to find the right path, make the right decision, and achieve the desired outcome. And as you progress through this journey, each experience will be an important piece or part of the learning process that will ultimately give you more experience, more confidence, and result in a higher success rate.
I have been fortunate to have been exposed to a myriad of experiences that have enabled me to learn, grow, and achieve success. My experience covers a fairly broad range, one which I have been told is unique, although it never occurred to me until someone mentioned it. I have a sports background, having competed at the highest levels on an intercollegiate level. I have a military background by virtue of my education and training at the United States Naval Academy and subsequent military service. I have a business background in both the private and public sector, and I started up and sold my own company. Over the course of my career, there were various principles and lessons learned, and best practices that served me well. These principles apply to whatever sector you are in and whatever you do. They are proven; they work, and they get results.
The purpose of this book is to instill within each of you those principles, which, when pieced together, will optimize your chances for success. If you adhere to what I recommend, it will be a valuable learning experience for you with lifelong benefits. It will not be a matter of success or no success, but one of degree of success, which ultimately is up to you.
You will notice throughout the book principles and recommendations that reference both your personal and professional life. The reason for this is that most of you reading this have both a professional life and a personal life. Behavior and success or failure in one area spills over into the other, which is why I use the term “balance” several times in this book.
The book is written in such a way that each chapter builds on the previous one in a comprehensive yet specific manner. Explanations are given as to why each principle is important, with instructions on how to improve your skill set in each area, as skills are learned and developed. Adhering to this regimen gives you the opportunity to unlock your potential by changing your mindset and putting you in an action mode to attain your goals and achieve success, fulfillment, and happiness.
These basic principles are important and never change. They are timeless in this regard and are recession proof. Whether in ancient Greece, Rome, London, Kyoto, Peking, or colonial Boston, these same principles were seen as the basic underpinnings of success. If your basic fundamentals are sound, you can build on these and better understand and deal with the complexities. If your basics are strong, you are strong. This foundation will serve as a bulwark when dealing with the opportunities, challenges, and adversity you will face.
Throughout the book, the terms “belief” and “mindset” are continually used. Your achievement in life will be determined largely by the belief and confidence you have in yourself and what you do. You will never reach your true potential without this steadfast belief and confidence. A strong person who believes in himself or herself cannot be defeated, as they are confident. They have a warrior-like mindset, they have the will to prevail, and they have trained themselves to be the best.
Life is about decisions. You are not a victim of circumstances. The life you are living is the life you have created, which is based on the decisions you have made and the habits you have formed.
You do not and should not wait for success to happen. If you do, it will be a very long wait. This is something that is within your control, but it is up to you. This book will provide you with the instructions and motivation to achieve it, as It Starts With You.
“If you adhere to what I recommend, it will be a valuable learning experience for you with lifelong benefits. It will not be a matter of success or no success, but one of degree of success, which ultimately is up to you.”
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