November 2020 Careers: Did You Ever Hear of Robert Collier?

I remain totally convinced that there is a great number of very bright, competent people in the world but most of us know nothing about them or their wisdom. 

Robert Collier, an avid early self-help advocate, was such a person. He wrote about a wide variety of issues; abundance, faith and personal development.  He was a forerunner of the current day motivation research.  He died in 1950.  I first heard of him through a weekly publication of quotes, one of which is shown below:
“We can do only what we think we can do.
We can be only what we think we can be.
We can have only what we think we can have.
What we do, what we are, what we have.
All depend on what we think.”

The above quote sounds so simple, but it contains great wisdom which will probably become apparent as you read it several times.  In fact, using this quote as a mantra could be a valuable tool to solve a variety of problems.

•Mr. Collier wrote some highly regarded inspirational books in the early 1900s.  He was a prolific writer who believed strongly that happiness and abundance are achievable by all of us.  He sold over 300,000 sets of his books entitled the Secret of the Ages.  So even after 70 years, he continues to inspire with his wisdom.  A number of his books are available on Amazon.  I want to share a handful of his thoughts with some of my own commentary.      

•An essential thought is the need to know what you want.  Most every one of us has been asked time and time again, what do you want to do?  Where do you want to be?  It sounds like such a fundamental question.  Then why do we struggle so much with it?  It appears to me that many of us are uncomfortable making a decision.  It is almost like being undecided is better than taking a position that might be subject to criticism.  One of the most common questions for people of all ages is, what are you going to do when you grow up?  We may try to make light of it, somehow we see it as an ultimate decision.  Here’s a suggestion: study the problem carefully and thoroughly then make a tentative decision.  Work like heck to implement that decision, if the decision turns out to be wrong, drop it like a hot potato and move on to a better decision.  Life is so short, why waste time spending months or years at a job or on a project that you don’t like?  

•The first principle of success is desire i.e. knowing what you want.  Desire is the planting of your seed.  Do you have the desire and the fire to plant the seed for the future?  You can hear a lot of people talking about what they really want to do.  However, they clearly haven’t done anything to implement that desire.  It simply becomes an unfulfilled dream or wish.  Just think of the people who have shared their dreams with you, but have never achieved them.  

•Take the first step, and your mind will mobilize all its forces to you.  But you must take that leap of faith.  Once you are engaged, all that is within and without you will come to your assistance.  I have spent many years assisting people in the job search process.  Many people simply struggle trying to overcome their inertia.  A lot of people live in the world of “gonna”. They are gonna stop in and learn more about that conveniently located company or potential employer.  They are gonna prepare a resume one day soon, but they don’t.  They are gonna organize their job search soon.

•There are little differences between people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude.  The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.  Haven’t you seen the difference manifested in people’s attitude when challenged?  Some people thrive on challenges; it may mean that they are quicker to take a risk than the rest of us or their belief (aka attitude) allows them to focus on a positive outcome.  Have you encountered people like that?

•Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself.  I will let some scholar decide whether attitude is belief in one’s self or belief in something else.  One’s attitude is a lot like the concept of leadership, when we see it we know if it’s genuine.  A phony attitude is often easily spotted and recognized.  You can do anything you think you can.  This knowledge is literally the gift of the gods, for through it we can solve every human problem.  It will make you an incurable optimist.  It is the open door.  

•Visualize that which you want, see it, feel it, believe in it.  Make your mental blueprint and begin to build it.  Many highly successful executives and big name athletes will tell you the same story.   They don’t focus on their mistakes, but rather they focus on the things they did correctly.  They don’t consider the possibility of future mistakes.  They direct their attention at doing the right thing.  If you are a professional football fan, think of Tom Brady; he has won countless games that others had considered lost.

I hope you can apply one or more of these thoughts to your life and career.  CARPE DIEM.  If you don’t seize the day, perhaps one of your colleagues will.

FOR YOUR FURTHER CONSIDERATION:
The best leaders are the ones who have the sense to surround themselves with outstanding people and the self-restraint not to meddle in how they do their job.  Unknown.                

James F. Fitzgerald is the president of James F. Fitzgerald & Associates, Inc.; a Naperville, IL based senior executive coaching and career transition firm. Jamesffitzgerald.com This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.