The story is told of Albert Einstein who was once traveling from Princeton on a train when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn’t find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets.

“It wasn’t there. He looked in his briefcase but couldn’t find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn’t find it.

“The conductor said, ‘Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry about it.’

“Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets. As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.

“The conductor rushed back and said, ‘Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’t worry, I know who you are; no problem. You don’t need a ticket. I’m sure you bought one.’ Einstein looked at him and said, ‘Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going.”

Having no goals in life or in business can create a similar dilemma for us. We may know who we are, but we may not know where we’re going. Goals help us to set a direction. They help us to develop a road map in order to successfully arrive at our desired destination.

Know Where You Are

Setting out on a road trip to an unknown destination can be an exciting adventure. The possibilities are endless when considering the options to discover new places and new people, even if that destination is across town, across the country or across the globe. When charting the course to a new destination, one has to first know where the trip will originate. What’s the starting point? From where do you begin? Your navigation device not only asks for the address of where you’re going, but also the address of where you’re starting from.

When charting a course for success in life or in business, the same principle applies. When determining where you want to be next year, in 3 years or 5 years, you must first determine where you are right now.

Know Where You Are Going

Setting goals is important to achieving success. Goals help you to focus, provide direction, assist in decision making, give motivation and a sense of purpose.

What is it you want to achieve? Is it writing a book, learning to play a musical instrument, losing weight, running a marathon, becoming the top sales executive, a promotion, starting your own business? Without defining what you are looking to achieve or where you want to be, it’s difficult to set a set a road map that will help you get to that destination.

Yogi Berra, former player and coach of the New York Yankees, humorously said, “If you don’t know where you’re going, you may end up somewhere else.”

Know How to Get There

If you’re not a runner and your desire is to run a marathon, you may want to understand the effects of running such a distance, consulting your doctor, adjusting your diet, begin walking several miles per day and working up to running longer distances. If it’s becoming the top sales executive, you may need additional product training, sales training, improving cold-calling techniques and developing better leads.

When developing goals, it’s good to follow the 5-point, SMART approach. Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.

Set your goals and develop a plan to get you where you want to be, otherwise, you may find yourself aimlessly wondering through life and your career.

Photo credit: Library and Archives Canada

Photo Credit: David Prater / Getty Images

Bette Nesmith had a good secretarial job in a Dallas bank when she ran across a problem that interested her. Her thought was, there must be a better way to correct typewriter errors. Having had some art experience, she knew that artists who worked in oils just painted over their errors. So she began to think that maybe that would work for her too. So she concocted a fluid to paint over her typing errors.

Before long, all the secretaries in her building were using what she then called “MistakeOut.” She attempted to sell the product idea to marketing agencies and various companies (including IBM), but they all turned her down.

However, secretaries continued to like her product, so Bette Nesmith’s kitchen became her first manufacturing facility and she started selling it on her own.

When she eventually sold the enterprise, the tiny white bottles were earning $3.5 million annually on sales of $38 million. The buyer was the Gillette Company and the sale price was $47.5 million.

Bette’s story helps us to remember some valuable life lessons in the pursuit of our personal and professional goals.

Keep Working at It

Part of achieving success is dealing with the delays and disappointments along the way. The best thing to do is keep working at it. Success comes not from giving up but from pushing through. It would have been easy for Bette Nesmith to give up after being turned down by so many companies, however, she knew she had a winning idea and product. For Bette, this meant working a little harder, putting in a few extra hours, and pursuing her goal in unconventional ways.

Thomas Edison, who suffered his fair share of set-backs in his efforts said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”

Overcome Discouragement

When progress isn’t happening as quickly as one might like, it can be discouraging. When others around you are critical of what you’re doing, discouragement can set in. Overcoming the discouragement of a failed attempt, delayed efforts, critical voices, or someone simply saying no to your idea can help you get to where you want to be. Developing an attitude of, “sticking to it,” helped Thomas Edison overcome discouragement on his way to discovering the electric light. Not many people could have endured over 1,000 failed attempts, but Edison saw his failed attempts as steps toward success.

Scott Fitzgerald said, “Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.”

Sometimes Mistakes Can Open Doors of Opportunity 

At age 33, Charles Goodyear decided to become an inventor. His effort, or mistake as many would claim, helped make rubber a commodity. Prior to Goodyear, Thomas Hancock and Charles Macintosh used different solvents to shape and mold rubber. The problem was, in cold environments it became rigid and in hot environments it would melt. When Charles Goodyear accidentaly dropped some India rubber mixed with sulfur on a hot stove, he discovered the process of vulcanization, which is the chemical process by which the physical properties of natural or synthetic rubber are improved.

While many have been attributed to having said it, there is a quote, in various forms, which says, “I’m a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the luckier I get.” Keep working toward success. Mistakes and setbacks may occur, but in the end, dedication, commitment, hard work and a little luck will win the day.

Story of Bette Nesmith, Crossroads Issue, No. 7 pp. 3-4

At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, the stage was set for Derek Redmond as he was favored to win the gold in the 400 meter race. Four years earlier in the Seoul Olympic competition, Redmond was forced to pull out of the opening round of the 400 meters due to an injury to his Achilles tendon. In the 1991 World Championships, Redmond was a member of the British team that that won the gold medal beating the American team and registering what was then, the second-fastest race time in 4×400 history. Although Redmond had undergone a number of operations due to injuries prior to the 1992 Olympics, he was recovering well, growing stronger and more confident. In the first round of the “92 Olympics, Redmond posted the fastest time and later won the quarter final. Finishing well in the semi-final round would put Redmond in position to compete for the gold.

At the sound of the gun, the racers sprinted out of the starting blocks and Derek Redmond was off to a good start. With his sights set on finishing strong and approximately 250 meters from the finish line, Redmond’s hamstring in his right leg suddenly tore sending him into excruciating pain and ending his dream of an Olympic gold medal in track and field. As he watched the other sprinters cross the finish line and medical personnel coming to his side, Redmond stood up and began hobbling toward the finish line himself. Struggling to make it, clearly disappointed and in agonizing pain, Redmond continued his journey toward his goal. Suddenly, out of the stands, a man began pushing his way through security onto the track and beside the hobbling sprinter. That man was Derek’s father, Jim Redmond who said to Derek, “You don’t have to do this,” to which Derek replied, “Yes, I do.” The elder Redmond said to his son, “Then we’ll finish this together.” Before a crowd of 65,000 spectators who were now on their feet, Derek Redmond finished the race with the man who had been by his side all of his life.

Disappointments Happen

How many times growing up and bemoaning an unfair situation did we hear a parent say, “Life’s not fair, get used to it.” Disappointments are going to happen. You may lose a long-time key account, miss out on closing a big deal, lose an exemplary employee to a better opportunity, or miss out on a promotion you hoped for. During a time of disappointment, it’s important to keep from allowing anger, bitterness and resentment to set in. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

It’s kind of like the story of the successful businessman who was in his office one day when a friend stopped by and began lamenting about all the problems and challenges he was facing. The businessman drove his friend out to the local cemetery and as they surveyed all the headstones, the businessman said to his friend who was down and out, “These are the only people in this town that don’t have any problems… or opportunities.”

Delays are not Denials

In his pursuit of a gold medal, Derek Redmond not only experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, but he also experienced the frustration of delay. Injuries, surgeries, and healing time all caused there to be a postponement in his timeline. Most of what Derek had to deal with was out of his control. In business, and in life, delays can happen that are out of our control, but occasionally, delays happen as a direct result of our actions. Indecision, fear of failure and/or lack of preparation can cause delays in the results we hope to see. We must continue to move forward, work toward our goals and sometimes, we simply need to be patient. There is a reward for those who patiently endure. Aristotle is even quoted to have said, “Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.”

Demonstrate Courage and If Need Be, Lean on Others

Whether personally or professionally, life can sometimes deliver a staggering blow causing disappointment, delay, distress, discouragement, and defeat. While it can be difficult in that moment, we have to remain committed to achieving our goals and find the courage to continually work to cross the finish line. As Theodore Roosevelt said, “It’s hard to fail, but it’s worse to have never tried to succeed.” Redmond’s struggle in the 1992 semi-final later became the subject of one of the International Olympic Committee’s ‘Celebrate Humanity’ videos, which proclaimed “Force is measured in kilograms. Speed is measured in seconds. Courage? You can’t measure courage.”

When watching the video of this situation play out, you can’t help but to notice Derek’s initial reaction to his father’s attempt to help him. Derek can be seen pulling away until he recognized it was his father who was coming along side to help. Upon recognizing his father and his own need for assistance, Derek was willing to receive the support offered by his dad.

At times we all need a little help. Be willing to allow others to come along side and assist, encourage and challenge you to achieve your best.

Photo credit: The Guardian

The Choluteca Bridge, located in Honduras, is also known as the Bridge of Rising Sun. The bridge was built by Hazama Ando Corporation between 1996 and 1998 and became the largest bridge constructed by a Japanese company in Latin America.

In the same year the bridge was commissioned for use, Honduras was hit by Hurricane Mitch, which caused considerable damage to the nation and its infrastructure. Many bridges were damaged while some were destroyed, but the Choluteca Bridge survived with minor damage. While the bridge itself was in near perfect condition, the roads on either end of the bridge had completely vanished, leaving no visible trace of their prior existence. More impressively, the Choluteca River (which is several hundred feet wide) had carved itself a new channel during the massive flooding caused by the hurricane. It no longer flowed beneath the bridge, which now spanned dry ground. The bridge quickly became known as, “The Bridge to No Where.” In 2003, the bridge was reconnected to the highway.

The Choluteca Bridge was strong, firmly anchored and immovable. While these are the qualities one hopes for when driving over a bridge, are these the qualities one looks for in today’s leaders?Le

Leaders Know, In an Ever Changing World, Change is Bound to Happen

Much like what occurs in nature, due to nature, things have a tendency to change, even when you think it won’t. Change can be difficult to adapt to, however, change is going to happen. Baby Boomers can remember the days of rotary phones attached to a wall. Back then, a mobile phone was when you had a long cord attached to the receiver which enabled you to take the phone into another room for what you thought was privacy. Today, technology and the way of doing business change much more rapidly. Like a river that can carve itself a new channel, life, projects and leadership are fluid and can change directions in the blink of an eye. Be ready and willing to accept and work with inevitable change. When necessary, be the change agent.

Leaders Are Firm but Flexible 

The dichotomy of the Choluteca Bridge and Choluteca River is one worth comparing. While the bridge itself remained firmly anchored, which is what one hopes for when commuting over such a structure, the river, by way of a storm, found a different route to continue its forward progress. Sometimes the storms of life can cause us to re-think our goals and how we attain them. After Hurricane Mitch moved through the area, the bridge had become obsolete while the river found a new path. Leaders need to be flexible enough to know when and how to administer change, otherwise they will become obsolete.

Leaders Are Anchored in Core Values

In an ever changing world, core values are a constant. Core values define what we stand for. The values we live by are not simply a mission statement or a job description but the essence of who we are. While difficulties and challenges may cause us to re-think certain goals and objectives, the storms of life don’t cause us to abandon our core values.