The Most Helpful of Lines

When we hear the word “dead” in a conversation, most of us automatically start to imagine some really bad stuff because dead is something we try to keep away from in most of the ways the word is used. But there is one use of the word “dead” that can, and does, add so much to our lives when used in one particular way — when it’s linked with the word “line”, as in “deadline”.

The origin of the word deadline is very interesting. It came about during the US civil war when prisoners were surrounded by barriers or sometimes just simple lines drawn in the dirt. If a prisoner crossed over these, the guards we under orders to shoot them dead! These boundaries were called deadlines.

These days, deadlines are defined as the time by which something must be finished or is a line or limit that must not be passed. So, it’s not as scary as the original meaning of the word but it can motivate us to get things done so we don’t cross over that line which, today, usually means we’ve failed, or we’ve missed an opportunity.

The good thing about deadlines now is that they can make our world a more organized and efficient place. They force us to push ourselves a little bit harder to do more and be more. Even though this is true, we still often need that little extra push even though you’d think that just the idea of how short life is would make us want to hurry up and get things done.

Sometimes I think that if none of us ever died then we would probably not have a clue why anyone would want to set time limits or deadlines on themselves, since time would not be much of a concern. Why? Because we’d never run out of it. But, of course, we all have a limited amount of time in our days and even in our lives. I mean, the average person lives less than 30,000 days or 720,000 hours. So, it’s important to use the time we have wisely and efficiently. Deadlines are one of those great things that help us do just that.

Just think what it would be like if we didn’t have deadlines for things like:

• Starting or finishing the workday.
• Starting or finishing a school day.
• Business deals or real estate offers to sell, buy or close a deal.
• Expected departure and arrival times for airlines, trains and buses.
• Meeting up with friends or doing things for family.
• When we want to accomplish goals that we’ve set for ourselves.

I think the last one on that list is particularly important. Sometimes those deadlines for our goals are not as immovable as, say, the departure of your flight or when you have to start work each day, but they are just as important. And they should be considered rigid and nonnegotiable. Why set deadlines for goals if you don’t work hard to meet them?

We don’t always make our deadlines but that’s no reason to stop setting them or stop trying to meet them. They give us something to reach for, something to motivate us and they give us a sense of urgency. So, you want to have those deadlines no matter what. Just don’t let those times when you don’t succeed in meeting your deadlines keep you from trying again or trying harder next time.

So, my message for you this week, and really for all of you who would like a productive and more satisfying life, is to keep setting big goals for yourself and be sure to include those deadlines so you can push yourself to use your time wisely and more efficiently. But don’t shoot yourself if you step over the deadline a bit. Just re-boot and try again.

Being the Right Kind of Person

I’ve been looking back at some past posts, and one mentioned a book that has been super helpful since I first read it in 2005. The book is Goals! How to Get Everything You Want Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible. I’ve always felt it a privilege to call its author, Brian Tracy, a friend. He’s not only a warm, friendly person, but he’s also smart and wise. His advice in Goals! is fantastic. I have reaped huge rewards from following his wonderful and sage advice.

When I read, I often make notes on the ideas and quotes that I find particularly wise. In the front blank pages of Brian’s books, I scribbled page number references so I could go back to my favorite parts and lines such as, ‘Character is the ability to follow through on a resolution after the enthusiasm with which the resolution was made has passed.” That’s on page 263.

But what Brian wrote about the concept that gives a person a huge advantage to be successful that really influenced me was written under the subhead, “Get Around the Right People”. In that chapter, Brian says that you should, “make it a point to associate with the kind of people that you like, admire, respect, and want to be like sometime in the future. Associate with the kind of people that you look up to and would be proud to introduce to your friends and associates. The choice of a positive, goal-oriented reference group can do more to supercharge your career than any other factor.”

When I set my goal to be a millionaire, one of the first things I did was to set in motion a plan to meet and get to know wealthy people. On that list were two billionaires who didn’t know me from Adam but who, with persistence and a plan, I was able to meet and get to know as well as get advice and financial formulas from. The two billionaires were Ray Kroc, founder of McDonald’s, and Curt Carlson, founder of the TGIF restaurant chain.

However, my very first adviser, who also became a good friend, was a multimillionaire by the name of Larry Rosenberg. He not only referred me to the best books to read to lead a person to huge wealth, he also spent lots of time with me over lunches. He gave me great advice, hints, and direction concerning where to look for the best properties and what to do to fix them up to greatly increase value and then sell them. Later I was fortunate enough to connect with businessman Paul J. Meyer, who built a half-billion-dollar fortune starting from nothing. He shared many ideas and formulas for achieving success at a quick pace with me.

Besides the notes I made in the front of Brian’s book, I also found this note that his words inspired me to write in one of the margins: “In order for me to be able to associate with the right kind of people, I must work hard on myself to be that likable and right kind of person.” It’s a thought that has stayed with me ever since I wrote it.

When I think about it, I know that for me, and most people, we would all much rather do business with people who we really like, and we tend to shun people that are difficult or unfriendly towards us. I don’t even enjoy playing tennis with people I don’t like, even if I beat them. So, the bottom line here is that in order to meet the right kind of people you must work on yourself to become that right kind of person as well. Once you have, then you can surround yourself with the kind of people that will help you become the kind of successful person you want to be.