If you're going to be a success as a human being, you
have to fit into one of two groups, or belong to both of
them.
The first group belongs to what I call "the river." These are
men and women who have found, often early in life,
although not always, a great river of interest into which they
throw themselves with exuberance and abandon. They are
quite happy to spend their lives working and playing in that
river.
For some, the river may be a particular branch of science;
for others, one of the arts. There are some physicians, for
example, who are so wrapped up in medicine that they hate
to leave; even after a 16 hour day, they can't wait to get back
to it.
These people are happiest and most alive when they're in
their river — in whatever business or career or profession it
happens to be. And success comes to such people as
inevitable as a sunrise. In fact, they are successes the
moment they find their great field of interest; the worldly
trappings of success will always come in time. Such people
don't have to ask, "What will I do with my life?" Their
work is a magnet for them, and they can't
imagine doing anything else.
We all know such people, or about such people. Doing
what they do is even more important to them than the
rewards they earn for doing it.
The second group of successful people are those who are
goal-oriented. These people have not found a particular
river, necessarily, and can be quite happy doing a number of
things. It's the goals they set that are important to them, and
they're quite aware that there are many roads that can lead
to their goals.
Someone once said, "Americans can have anything
they seriously make up their minds to
have. The trouble is that most of them never
make up their minds about anything." Goal-oriented people do make up their minds about what they want,
and they keep their eyes and their enthusiasm on the goal
they've established until it becomes a reality in their lives.
Then they set a new goal, if they're wise.
One of the problems with this latter group is that after
achieving a number of goals and becoming quite successful,
they can run out of goals and become listless and unhappy.
But not the river people. Their interest in what they're
doing never fades.
So if you're going to be a big success, chances are you
need to be a river person or a goal-oriented person, or both
— the two groups are not mutually exclusive.
Source: The Essence of Success by Earl Nightingale
Tips for
Setting Goals
A clinical associate professor of psychiatry, Dr. Ari
Kiev, writes, "Observing the lives of people who
have mastered adversity, I have noted that they
have established goals and sought with all their effort to
achieve them. From the moment they decide to concentrate
all their energies on a specific objective, they began
to surmount the most difficult odds."
Dr. Kiev continues, "The establishment of a goal is the
key to successful living. And the most important step
toward achieving an objective is first to define it. I'm sure
you have at least 30 minutes a day in which to list your
thoughts. At the end of that time, choose from the possible
objectives you have listed, the one that seems the most
important, and record it separately on a single card. Carry
this card with you at all times. Think about this goal every
day. Create a concrete mental image of the goal, as if
you've already accomplished it."
The doctor points out, "You can determine your special
talents or strengths in a number of ways, ranging from
psychological tests to an analysis of the unexpressed
wishes in your dreams. No method works for everyone.
You might start, for example, by clipping and posting
newspaper articles that interest you. After 30 days,
see if there isn't some trend suggestive
or a deep-seated interest of natural
inclination. Keep alert to the slightest indications of
any special skills or talents, even when they seem silly or
unimportant.
"From this exercise, you should be able to get some
sense of potential strengths. Whenever you discover a
strength or talent, think of five possible ways to develop
it. Write these down on a card as well, and check them
periodically to keep them fresh in your mind."
So take the good advice of psychiatrist Dr. Ari Kiev, and
don't be afraid of failure. As Herodotus wrote, "It is better
by noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half
of the evils we anticipate than to remain in cowardly listlessness
for fear of what may happen."
Source: The Essence of Success by Earl Nightingale
