This article was last updated on September 5, 2017
Just the other day, I was attending a seminar on, “The Traits of Successful People?” It was quite an informative seminar where the speaker enlightened us with the fact that successful people don’t do different things; instead, they do the same things as the rest of us but in a different manner. I remember to have read this sometime in grade 10, but this makes so much more sense to me now. The issues I heard in the seminar inspired me to write this post about how “Genius” isn’t that difficult to achieve.
Originality And Genius: How Non-Conformists Change The World
Steve Jobs – An Inspiration for the Youth!
We constantly inspire ourselves with the big names from Harvard, Apple, and Google, often forgetting that they too were sitting in their living room and dreaming about their life goals. The only difference between them and the rest is that they were always working towards that dream. Dropping out of college for Steve Jobs must have been a difficult decision to make, but the obsession to achieve his dream was compelling.
Likewise, we need to train our subconscious mind to achieve the impossible. Not very many know although Jobs was the founder of Apple, he was driven out of Apple due to his impulsive nature. However, his genius was never doubted, and it was him who rescued the company again in 1997 and made Apple what it is now. Not for once did he doubt the acceptability of his product crediting to its isolation from other mobile systems. Instead, Apple is still one of the most high-end products’ sellers in the world.
The secrecy of its products created frenzy amongst the audience anticipating what’s coming next. Dolling out one product after the other, Steve didn’t fail to level up the expectations of his customers with products like iPod, iPad, and Mac. In my belief, Jobs still lives on in his vision and dreams. Apple continues to create a need amongst its client base going against the analysis of market researchers just like Steve had determined.
You might also like to try a very simple practice of reviewing your achievements as you go. Set small scale goals and big goals. Every fortnight, check how close you have to come to achieving your small scale goals. On a daily basis, evaluate how much work you were going to get done v/s. How much you did. Sometimes, getting more work done than your anticipation in one day leaves you with a sense of pride and satisfaction. You must try this to get motivation for future tasks.
The Remarkable Merger – Scotts Lawn Service and TruGreen
Not many people live their dream, but the ones who do have the vision for it. Envision it, make a plan to reach and make efforts to cancel out the obstacles on your way. For instance, recently I was reading about the merger of two nationwide known lawn maintenance companies: The Scotts Lawn Service and TruGreen.
If anyone was considering hiring a company for providing lawn services, it was a tough choice among the two. The merger was shocking because all this time I had known these companies only as rivals in the industry. Their competition shows in every aspect: types of services they provide, their quality, the price and policies for each kinds of customers.
Prior to the merger, Scotts Lawn Service sold its lawn products across the country. It had a decent client base too. They also carry out free lawn analysis to figure out the type and applications your lawn needed. With a recorded revenue of above 280$ Million, you can anticipate the kind of business they had alone. The company lets the clients make their own lawn care plan to suit their needs all year long.
TruGreen, prior to the merger, was known for its 29.95$ offer. However, TruGreen provides this price only if your lawn fits the requirements. They determine the price on a yearly basis based on the size of your lawn, and you have to pay it upfront. TruGreen might come across as slightly more expensive, but they have been known to provide excellent results.
After their merger, their client bases have been merged as well. Now, these companies together hold the majority share of the lawn care service industry and clients don’t have to face the dilemma of choosing between the two. However, the merger was more of an acquisition as Scotts Lawn Service was taken over by TruGreen. Post merging, they discontinued all Scott’s lawn products as a part of the deal. I feel that this was such a wise decision to make so that now both companies can enjoy the benefits from the joint client base.
Indian Youth Icon – Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani
Another famous business icon known for his originality is Mr. Dhirubhai Ambani who believed in rolling up his sleeves and helping out his staff even in the most menial jobs. He was the safety net for his employees. He built a trust among his organization which extended to his customers as well.
His management skills are still new and refreshing to the corporate world. He believed in giving a professional his space to work and never second doubted their decisions. Furthermore, he was not only a great businessman but also a visionary. He brought India unbelievable mobile schemes and had to invest a lot. But his vision brought him sweet results because he dreamed with his eyes open.
Mr. Ambani had a plan; he always thought five steps ahead. Gradually, we see similar traits in his son, Mr. Mukesh Ambani when he introduced another unbelievable range of internet schemes in India for which he had to invest an enormous amount of money. Mr. Ambani Jr seems to have the same “visionary” genes in him as we see his new company rip apart its contemporaries’ businesses.
There are many habits successful personalities practiced that you can adopt in your daily work life to get started. For instance, the end of your regular work day is an undermined aspect. You must not only start your day on a positive note but also end it positively.
The way you end your work day sets the mood for the coming work day subconsciously. Activities like cleaning the desk before you leave and thinking positively about how you managed to get all the work done also help set the mood for the next day in advance.
The Thomas Edison’s Motivation
To reach that where you aim to be, you have to set priorities. Every decision you take must align with the ulterior goal to change the world. It takes a unique idea as well as the obsession to fulfill it to make a success story. Perseverance, faith, and dedication go hand in hand. If you lack motivation, remember that Thomas Edison made 2000 failed experiments before he invented the bulb.
You have to police your own decisions and walk towards the goal. Slow and steady wins the race, don’t you forget that. Don’t depend on others to help you out with every step. Sometimes you’ve got to pave your way through. In the end, you’re going to thank everyone who refused to help so that you could do it yourself.
These great men believed in their plan and built their empire from scratch. One was a product genius while the other was a legendary businessman. You can gain inspiration from both based on their distinct and impeccable styles of not giving a damn about the norms of the industry and paving their roads.
