Lesson 32: Never stop playing.

Author's note: I am a compulsive advice-giver-always have been.  When my own son was in high school, he wasn't interested in his old man's advice so I wrote it down in the hope that he might change his mind one day.  What follows is one piece of that advice.  I trust it applies to all of us, regardless of age.

Anyone without a sense of humor is at the mercy of everyone else.

—William Rotsler

It hardly needs to be said that human beings would rather have fun than suffer through endless hours of drudgery and sorrow. The way you go through life—enjoying it, detesting it, or anything in between—is mostly a matter of attitude. And we’ve clearly established that you have the capacity to choose your attitude.

Still don’t believe that? Consider the story of the Pike Place Fish Market in downtown Seattle, Washington. You may have had a job or two that you considered to be unglamorous—flipping burgers, mowing lawns, waiting tables, bagging groceries—but try being a fishmonger.

At Pike Place Fish Market, the workers get up at four in the morning and make their way down to the fish dock to meet the commercial fishing boats as they arrive with their catch. They prepare the cold, smelly fish and arrange them for display in the market—which, although covered, is open to the air. They open at 6:00 am and sell raw fish to various customers.

The work is hard and the conditions are often tough because of the cold, damp weather in the Pacific Northwest. When the long day is over, the workers are tired, cold, and sore, and they stink to high heaven. You’d expect that most of them hate their jobs, and you wouldn’t blame them if they did.

But the employees of Pike Place Fish love their jobs—and far from spending their workdays in drudgery, they literally have a blast from beginning to end. They joke with customers, throw fish at each other as if they were footballs, and laugh at themselves and each other from morning to night. The market is a beehive of activity and laughter; people come from all over the world to visit Pike Place Fish Market.

This little company has gained fame because its employees enjoy working at jobs that most people would hate. Their secret? In 1986, owner John Yokoyama and his team made a decision to have fun and to be great with people—and they’ve been doing it ever since. That fun is infectious: it rubs off on customers, who return it back to the workers. It becomes a self-sustaining cycle.

 You’re never too old to have fun—and whatever job you have, it can be fun if you choose to make it so.

Lesson 31: Set goals.

Author's note: I am a compulsive advice-giver-always have been.  When my own son was in high school, he wasn't interested in his old man's advice so I wrote it down in the hope that he might change his mind one day.  What follows is one piece of that advice.  I trust it applies to all of us, regardless of age.

 

Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.

—Fitzhugh Dodson

You’re lucky to be reading this, actually. You’re about to learn about one of the great secrets to success: goals. Although goals are vital to success, most people never give them a thought. So let’s take a moment to think about them.

You set goals every day, whether you realize it or not. In its simplest form, a goal is just a decision to do something. “I’m going to get out of bed, take a shower, have breakfast, and go to work.”

There—you’ve just set four goals. In no more than a couple of hours, you will have accomplished them all. And while you’re carrying them out, you’re setting new goals. “I think I’ll stop and get gas. And when I get to work, I need to finish that thing I didn’t get to yesterday.” And so it goes, every hour of every day.

Now let’s just carry that same concept a little farther—maybe a lot farther. The kind of goals we’re talking about now are conscious, measurable, long-term goals.

When you were a full-time student, you probably saw little need for those long-term goals. As a kid, your goals were pretty much set for you by your parents, teachers, and school routine: get through the school year with good grades, have a fun summer, and go back to school the next year with the same goals. The process was so universal, simple, and repetitive that you likely gave it no thought at all.

The days of having your goals set by others are gone for good. From now on, you must set your own goals—and you need to start thinking much, much bigger than you have up to now.

Think of it as if you were taking a road trip. First, you decide where you want to go—your destination. Then you look at the various routes available and decide which one to take.

The destination is the goal. The route is your strategy for achieving the goal. It doesn’t matter what the destination is or how far away it is; once you have settled on the destination—the goal—you know you’ll eventually arrive. The actions you take between now and then will determine your success in getting there.

Decide now to be a goal setter. Your future depends on it.

Lesson 30: Enthusiasm is infectious.

Author's note: I am a compulsive advice-giver-always have been.  When my own son was in high school, he wasn't interested in his old man's advice so I wrote it down in the hope that he might change his mind one day.  What follows is one piece of that advice.  I trust it applies to all of us, regardless of age.

Nothing is easy to the unwilling.

—Thomas Fuller

It’s true: nothing is easy to the unwilling. In fact, one might say that nothing worthwhile is ever easy. Life ain’t for sissies, as they say.

But why would you want to make it any harder than it has to be? Why not do everything possible to make it easier and more enjoyable? Life is a great, fun adventure—and if you treat it that way, you’ll lighten the burden for yourself and those around you.

Take the late Steve Irwin, Australia’s famed “Crocodile Hunter,” as an example. He was so enthusiastic about his work that you couldn’t help becoming interested yourself. Irwin knew the secret value of enthusiasm.

There’s no denying that people are drawn to enthusiasm. It’s true that some people are enthusiastic to the point of being annoying, but that’s not the person I’m talking about. I’m talking about the person who gets excited about doing worthwhile tasks, who throws herself into every assignment with energy and a smile on her face.

We’ve all known enthusiastic people, and we often wonder how they do it. Each of us has things that excite our own enthusiasm, but those are usually subjects or areas that hold a special interest for us. How can some people seem to be interested in almost everything?

The answer is simple: they decide to be interested, and in doing so, they decide to be enthusiastic. Enthusiastic people not only do a better job, but they inspire those around them to do better as well. Enthusiasm is a self-chosen trait that makes work easier and makes you more valuable to others.

Obviously, you’ll find it easier to be enthusiastic about some jobs and subjects than others. And some days it will be hard to work up enthusiasm for anything. Do it anyway—it’s worth the effort.

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that enthusiasm is for suck-ups. That’s a juvenile attitude that only hurts you. You’re not a juvenile anymore, and you can’t afford to think like one. Enthusiasm can make your life easier, more fun, and more rewarding—both financially and otherwise. And as a bonus, your enthusiasm will also benefit everyone around you. Try it—you’ll like it!

Lesson 29: Put your shoulder into it.

Author's note: I am a compulsive advice-giver-always have been.  When my own son was in high school, he wasn't interested in his old man's advice so I wrote it down in the hope that he might change his mind one day.  What follows is one piece of that advice.  I trust it applies to all of us, regardless of age.

If you’re gonna be a bear, be a grizzly.

—Unknown

Effort is essential to success, but it never ceases to amaze me how few people seem to understand that simple fact.

I have hired quite a few employees in my time; I have also fired a few. The old saying is true: it’s hard to find good help. A good, hard-working employee is hard to come by. All it takes is a little honest effort and a good attitude to stand out.

Most employers have an awful time finding and keeping good employees. It seems that many people work harder at avoiding effort than they would at just doing a good job. They’re determined not to do any more than the bare minimum. What’s more, they think they are owed a living.

What these poor souls don’t realize is that the world doesn’t owe them anything at all. They seem to think that they can—and should—get something for nothing, or get more out of something than they put in. But that’s not the way life works. Nothing worthwhile is accomplished without sacrifice.

Everything in nature operates in this way. Just spend a little time watching common tree squirrels on a fall day, and you’ll see what I’m talking about. A squirrel must store sufficient food in order to survive through the winter. Have you ever seen a squirrel sitting, resting, and watching other squirrels gather nuts for him? Of course not. Every one of them works incessantly, collecting and storing his or her own food supply.

The same applies to people. It’s natural for each of us to do our fair share, and a person who does less is bound to have a negative self-image. That person is like a leech, sucking from the efforts of others.

You would do well to let that sink in: the world owes you nothing. You must earn your keep, pull your own weight. One of the simple secrets to success is that if you pull more than your own weight—if you do more than you’re paid for—you will stand out from the crowd. You’ll automatically make yourself indispensable. And you’ll almost certainly be rewarded for it.

Lesson 28: Loyalty, properly placed, will take you far.

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Author's note: I am a compulsive advice-giver-always have been.  When my own son was in high school, he wasn't interested in his old man's advice so I wrote it down in the hope that he might change his mind one day.  What follows is one piece of that advice.  I trust it applies to all of us, regardless of age.

I’ll take fifty percent efficiency to get one hundred percent loyalty.

—Samuel Goldwyn

Milton Hershey’s rags-to-riches saga is more than the story of just one man. Throughout his difficult journey to success, the milk chocolate mogul had the undying support of three people: his mother, his Aunt Mattie, and his friend William Lebkicher. They provided Milton encouragement and financial support. Had it not been for them, Hershey would not have been able to succeed. And when Milton succeeded, his supporters shared in the success.

That’s loyalty. Loyalty has been defined as devotion to a cause; we can also view it as devotion to a person. Sometimes, the cause and the person are one and the same.

Loyalty is an important trait to possess, but you must place it properly. Be sure that the person or cause to whom you are loyal deserves your loyalty.

The Jonestown tragedy is a classic case of misplaced loyalty. Jim Jones was the charismatic leader of a religious sect. In 1978, he led his followers in a mass suicide ritual where they drank Kool-Aid laced with poison. Over 900 people died, including 276 children. Jones certainly was unworthy of loyalty, and yet hundreds were willing to go to their deaths for him—and take their innocent children with them.

By contrast, Milton Hershey used his wealth to build an entire town, complete with schools, housing for employees, public transit, and 150 acres of parklands. He also established a residential school for orphaned boys, to which he gave the vast majority of his wealth. The school is still in operation today, serving nearly 1,400 underprivileged boys and girls from across the nation. Clearly, Hershey was a man deserving of loyalty.

Employers prize loyalty in their employees. Loyal workers are partners in success: everyone is pulling for the enterprise to succeed. It’s as if everyone were in the same boat, rowing together to get to the destination. A few people pulling in the wrong direction can wreak havoc.

When you find someone who truly deserves your loyalty, give it to them. If they’re really worthy, they’ll be loyal to you as well, and you’ll both benefit.

Lesson 27: Make your own luck.

Author's note: I am a compulsive advice-giver-always have been.  When my own son was in high school, he wasn't interested in his old man's advice so I wrote it down in the hope that he might change his mind one day.  What follows is one piece of that advice.  I trust it applies to all of us, regardless of age.

What we call luck is the inner man externalized. We make things happen to us.

—Roberston Davies

Luck is real. But hoping for good luck to come to you is a poor strategy. And using bad luck as an excuse to underachieve is just as weak.

Yes, you could win the lottery. People do all the time. Somebody has to win, as they say, so it might as well be you, right? All true—you certainly could win—but you won’t. It’s been said that the government-sponsored lottery is a tax on fools, and that’s not far wrong.

Bad luck exists as well, but it doesn’t have to rule your life. In 1876, a candy maker with a fourth-grade education opened a business in Philadelphia; it failed miserably. He moved to Denver, where he failed again. This was followed by more failed ventures in Chicago, New Orleans, and New York. Talk about bad luck.

Finally, after ten years and repeated failures, he returned to his family home in rural Pennsylvania, disgraced and broke. With one more loan, he started yet another candy company. Using everything he had learned from his string of bad luck, he was at last able to pull off a success—a big success.

The candy maker’s name was Milton Hershey, and the successful company he started was the Hershey Chocolate Corporation. As of this writing, the Hershey Company has annual sales of almost $5 billion and the company itself is valued at nearly $12 billion.

It’s been said that luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. That was certainly the case with Milton Hershey. At each of his “bad-luck” stops, he learned something that that would become useful one day. All of his experience and hard-earned knowledge contributed to his development of the formula for Hershey’s Milk Chocolate.

If there is a secret to having good luck, it can probably be summed up in this famous quote from Samuel Goldwyn: “The harder I work, the luckier I get.”

You can make your own luck as well. Step one is to take responsibility for your own success or failure. Do what you love, and stick with it. When you suffer a setback, take away useful knowledge from the experience. Have faith, and keep at it. You’ll get lucky soon enough. 

Lesson 26: Live a life of integrity.

 

Author's note: I am a compulsive advice-giver-always have been.  When my own son was in high school, he wasn't interested in his old man's advice so I wrote it down in the hope that he might change his mind one day.  What follows is one piece of that advice.  I trust it applies to all of us, regardless of age.

 

It is necessary to the happiness of man that he be mentally faithful to himself.

—Thomas Paine

As we have said, personal happiness involves a decision, but along with the decision must come action—action that aligns your behavior with your values and beliefs. That’s integrity.

In constructing a building, all the structural components must fit together perfectly for the structure to hold up against the forces of nature. When the pieces are all properly connected to one another, from the bottom of the foundation to the top of the roof, the building is said to have structural integrity.

The same holds true for people. Earlier, we talked about your values as well as your priorities. Your values and your priorities must be in agreement with each other, and your actions must be consistent with both. If you value honesty, you must tell the truth—all the time. If your family is important to you, you must spend time with them. If you prize friendship, you must be a good friend to others.

Every time your actions conflict with your beliefs, your own structural integrity is weakened. You’ll have a problem any time that happens, and if the disconnect is major, you’ll have a major problem.

A good example would be a public figure, such as a government official or prominent minister who rails against child abuse or pornography. If the official or minister gets caught doing the very thing he condemns, the result is justifiable public outrage. But even if the person doesn’t get caught, he still has a huge problem. Imagine the self-inflicted torture of such a person. It would literally be a personal hell.

Obviously, this would be an extreme case and—one would hope—extremely rare. But none of us is perfect. To expect perfection from yourself is unrealistic, although it is a worthy goal. Everyone falls short of being their ideal person at some point and to some extent. The point is to make an honest effort to be your best self by consciously aligning your actions with your values and priorities. When you get off track, get back on.

Integrity is a crucial ingredient of a happy existence. As you strive to live each day with integrity, you’ll view yourself as someone deserving of your own respect. You’ll almost certainly like yourself.