MEN THAT WILL SUCCEED 21: They Keep Good Company

‘Success is as much a product of being in the right company as it is of working hard. If you look for success secrets in the Bible, never read Proverbs 22:29 without reading Psalm 1:1!’

The moral is very simple: hard work, diligence, commitment, passion and everything like these virtues will take you really far but the truth is how fast you go most often depends on what company you’re in. Think about when you wrote the references part of your CV. Except you’re from some planet where nothing makes sense, you must have had two primary concerns when you selected those whose names you put in that section: one, they must know you, at least; and two, you must have some certainty that they know you ‘well’ – ‘well’ in this sense meaning that they know well enough to say some good things about you. In fact, if there’s anyone that knows you ‘unwell’ and you’re aware of that, such person would probably never get listed on your CV as a referee. Why don’t your grades or records of achievement matter here?

In my short life experience, I have seen people’s connections make the difference for them. This teaches me all the more that it’s not only about how much you know, but also about whom you know! People get admitted into top-rated colleges just on the recommendation of the right person; people get jobs by bearing a note from someone that matters; businesses sometimes break through by referrals; and the examples can continue of how the right connections can make. There are also many ready examples of how the wrong connections can mar. In fact, a time comes in the life of everyone when all that matters is just whom we know and/or hang around. That is why the most successful people that you will find around hang around with similar people – and the same goes for the most wretched people.

Give a lot of time to keeping in touch with good people; stay in touch with people who share your values; network with your peers who have a sense of purpose; keep a good address book, an up-to-date email list and a business card holder. Go for that conference to meet people, subscribe to that mailing list, join that professional association – do all you can to put yourself in the right company and stay there, it will definitely pay off!

 

‘A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years' study of books.’ (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hyperion, Chapter VII. Quoted from the Chinese)

MEN THAT WILL SUCCEED 20: They learn not to be rash

"...Everything starts with one step at at time. So start small and plan to finish big." (http://www.fuel-my-motivation.com/Self-Motivation.html)

One of the most important lessons I have learnt about working towards success relates to the importance of being sensible and realistic. While it is crucial to dream big - as you probably already know - it is often fatal to act big! Why? Because you'll lose your motivation quickly if you experience anything that looks like failure.

When the economic crisis hit Nigeria, I know many people who lost fortunes to the burst bubble (I even heard of people who became fatally sick or died as a result!). Why? Because they acted too big - many people seeing the promise of huge returns from the stock market borrowed recklessly to place on stocks. And how badly hit were they when the bubble burst. The consequence? Even now that the atmosphere is safe, most of these people would not go near the stock exchange simply because the apparent big 'failure' of the last few years has taken their motivation away. And why did that happen? Because they acted too big at the outset.

This is the point in much simpler language. Anyone who wants to be truly successful has to learn not to be rash. We're not born with that, as humans. In fact, if anything, we were born with innate myopic rashness. That's why a suckling baby would bite its mother now, forgetting that it is coming back to feed later! That is why we need to learn, as we grow up, that things are not always what they seem. 

On the road to success, do not ever think you're competing with anyone because as a matter of fact, you are not! Your life, ultimately, will be judged against the standard set for you - and you alone. So why don't you cut down on the rashness; go slowly, carefully, one step at a time and see how far you will go.

"...you ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly..." (the town clerk of Ephesus)