Get your hands dirty!!!

If you want to be successful, work hard, dirty your hands - and go beyond your specific roles.

....Sometimes, the biggest lessons in life come from very unlikely sources.

1. Getting a driving license does not make you a driver. “But it was only after several months of driving a car that he/she actually learn to drive, and became a real driver.” A license is only a permit – and not a stamp of authority. An MBA does not make you a manager. It is only after you spend several more years learning on the job that you truly qualify to call yourself a manager. Many young people confuse getting a degree as signifying the end of their learning. Wrong. It's just the beginning. A Bachelors degree or a Masters degree – the license – simply marks you out as someone qualified to learn from real life experiences. It doesn't make you an expert.

2. The real world is very different from a classroom. For example “I learnt to drive a car. But my first job required me to drive a little tempo. The steering wheel was different, and so were the gears. I thought I knew how to drive – but I couldn’t even get the tempo started.” The world outside the classroom is a very different place. That's as true for engineers and MBAs and accountants as it is for drivers. Get ready to get surprised.

 3. Get your hands dirty. “I spent nights working as a cleaner. That's when I learnt all about the insides of an automobile. Knowing what's under the bonnet has made me a better driver today.” The brightest marketing professionals in the country will tell you that they learnt their biggest lessons in the days they spent slogging in small towns selling soaps or colas. There's no other way. If you want to be successful, work hard, dirty your hands – and go beyond your specific role.

 4. Initially, what you learn is more important than what you earn. “In my first job, the pay was bad but the boss was good. He gave me opportunities to learn, make mistakes. I banged his tempo quite a bit. While the dents were quickly repaired, the lessons I learnt remain firmly etched in my mind.” In your first job – don’t worry about pay packet or the size of the organization. Get a good boss. A good mentor. That’s priceless.

 5. Don't worry about which car you drive. Focus on being a good driver. “I always wanted to drive the best cars – but rather than complain about having to drive a tempo or a school van or the city transport bus, I focused on driving well. I told myself that if I do that, the good cars will come. And they did.” Now that's a great lesson. It's not about the company. It’s about you. Do the best with what you have, wherever you are. We could all benefit by staying focused on doing a great job – rather than worrying about the next job, or the next promotion. Do a good job. Success and happiness will follow. Inevitably.

Rules of Motivation 

#1. Set a major goal, but follow a path. The path has mini goals that go in many directions. When you learn to succeed at mini goals, you will be motivated to challenge grand goals. 

#2. Finish what you start. A half finished project is of no use to anyone. Quitting is a habit. Develop the habit of finishing self-motivated projects. 

#3. Socialize with others of similar interest. Mutual support is motivating. We will develop the attitudes of our five best friends. If they are losers, we will be a loser. If they are winners, we will be a winner. To be a cowboy we must associate with cowboys.

#4. Learn how to learn.  Dependency on others for knowledge supports the habit of procrastination. Man has the ability to learn without instructors. In fact, when we learn the art of self-education we will find, if not create, opportunity to find success beyond our wildest dreams. 

#5. Harmonize natural talent with interest that motivates. Natural talent creates motivation, motivation creates persistence and persistence gets the job done.

#6. Increase knowledge of subjects that inspires. The more we know about a subject, the more we want to learn about it. A self-propelled upward spiral develops.

#7. Take risk. Failure and bouncing back are elements of motivation. Failure is a learning tool. No one has ever succeeded at anything worthwhile without a string of failures.