Axiom 95: Methods & Results

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him." -David Brinkley

"If you look really closely, most overnight successes took a long time." 

-Steve Jobs

When you're seeking success it's normal to examine the success of other people. We often use the success of others as a measuring stick or a blueprint for our own path in life. However, it's important to differentiate the difference between methods and results.

For example, you might see two incredibly wealthy people. You might assume their wealth is a result of some successful methods they used in life. However, one might have been born into wealth and the other born into poverty. In this situation you have the same results but two very different methods to get there.

In another example you might see two very poor people. You might assume from their lack of wealth that their methods in life are useless. However, maybe one of them has sacrificed wealth in the near term because they are working on something that could pay off big in the long term. Again, the results don't always reflect the methods in real time.

You must look at results and the methods they used to get those results for a clear picture. Only then can you apply what you learn to your own journey in life.

Axiom 94: Always Do Your Best

"Do the best you can in every task, no matter how unimportant it may seem at the time. No one learns more about a problem than the person at the bottom." -Sandra Day O'Connor

At age 16 my very first job was sacking groceries at a national supermarket chain. It was by no means a job I really wanted. It was the only company that I applied with that called me back. The pay was low ($4.40/hr). The schedule was erratic (I'd work various shifts from 7:00 am to 1:00 am throughout the week), and the work was physically exhausting.

While there was little, if anything, redeeming about my first job I still tried to do the best job possible. I had the mindset that the company was paying me for my services and I owed it to them to do the best job possible. My coworkers slacked off, worked at a mediocre pace, and did the bare minimum to get through the day. I always stayed busy, worked as fast as possible, and asked my boss for more work to do when I was caught up. 

Just as I started to lose faith that I was working hard for nothing I got promoted - again and again. Before I turned 17 I became a cashier (even though the company didn't even hire cashiers younger than 18). Then just before I turned 18 I was promoted to customer service manager (probably the youngest one in a company with thousands of employees).

I got promoted because I always tried to do my best at every job I was given. It wasn't from luck. It wasn't because I knew the right people. I never saw my current job as a dead end job. I always saw it as a step to something better and so should you. 

Axiom 93: Don't Forget Your Roots

Don't forget your roots because they won't forget you...

Six years ago when I wrote the first Axiom on this site I knew one day I would start to run out of ideas I wanted to express. At 93 Axioms deep it is now a struggle to make sure I'm not recycling previous thoughts. This very problem is what led me to today's lesson. I went back to the first Axiom and thought about what the roots of this site were intended to be.

I had a business dinner with a gentlemen from Europe a few weeks ago that got me thinking. While he was explaining European culture to me and I was explaining American culture to him I realized how important the roots of something are. We are deeply influenced by our roots, for better and worse. The people we deal with are also deeply influenced by their roots.

It is critical that if we are to be truly successful that we understand our roots and the roots of what we are trying to accomplish. Our roots are like a foundation that should never be forgotten. This doesn't mean that you have to let your roots always influence you however. It simply means that you must have an awareness and an understanding of them.