Now, there are three names that you do not normally see together. When I sat down to write this post I wanted to talk about a group of people that were very different but also successful. It is easy to see the differences in this group, a country singer, a professional golfer and a business titan, but if we take a closer look, all three did the same things to reach the pinnacle of their success. They focused. Or as Rich Dad, Poor Dad’s Robert Kiyosaki teaches Follow One Course Until Success. Let’s take a look at each of our examples.
George Strait– known as “the King of Country”. George has 60 number-one hits, giving him more number one songs than any other artist. He is also one of the best selling artist of all time with over 100 Million records sold. George is the only artist in history to have a top ten hit every year for 30 years. In the music industry there are very few artists that can compare to the popularity and success of George Strait. But he was not an overnight success. He entered the music scene in high school when he started a rock and roll garage band playing Beatles covers. He spent 4 years in the United States Army and performed in a US Army sponsored band. After his 4 year tour with the army he entered college and received a degree in agriculture. During his college years he played in honky-tonks and bars at night while managing his family’s Texas based cattle ranch during the day. It wasn’t until 10 years after enrolling in the US Army that he signed his first recording contract and released his first single. What does it take to amass the records and awards he has received? He consistently worked to improve his skill in a steady manner. He focused.
Jack Nicklaus– Jack is often referred to as the most accomplished golfer of all time. In his 25 year career he won a total of 18 major championships. He also finished second or third place another 27 times. What that equates to is 45% of the time during his career he finished in the top three. What a tremendous record. How did he do it? He focused on major championships (The Master’s Tournament, the US Open, The Open Championship and the PGA Championship). He prepared himself to win majors and was selective in his participation in non-major events. He was busy working with coaches and hitting countless balls at the range. He consistently worked to improve his skill in a steady manner. He focused.
Warren Buffett– Warren is widely considered the most successful investor of the 20th century, starting his own investment fund in 1956. In less than six years he became a millionaire and would later hold the title of “World’s Richest Man”. His investment style has not changed in over 60 years of practice. He is a value investor, buying securities that appear significantly undervalued based on an analysis of their fundamentals. He has been consistent in his strategy even when he faced criticism for missing opportunities that many considered easy decisions. The most famous example is Warren’s decision not to participate in technology investments because he did not understand the underlying company (i.e. though being personal friends with Bill Gates, Warren missed Microsoft’s major market move in the late 90’s). Today he is the world’s third wealthiest Billionaire because he consistently worked to improve his skill in a steady manner. He focused.
The one trait that these 3 very successful industry leaders have is they focus. They found their niche and passion and they worked tirelessly to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to set them apart and give them a competitive edge. Have you found your passion? Are you working without distraction towards completion? If you consistently work to improve your skill in a steady manner, in other words “focus”, you can achieve high level success in your industry.
Question: Do you have an example of following one course until success (focus)? Leave your comments below or by clicking here.
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