The Secret to Success is Giving

“Remember that the happiest people are not
those getting more, but those giving more.”
– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

This year I said good-bye to my longtime publisher, Kimberly. Having always told me she would never, never go out and work on her own, off she has gone. Way to go girl, I’m proud of you! Much like she told me she would never, never sell, only to end up being very good at building relationships, gaining trust and closing deals.  Never and always are always words you should never use.

Last year we planned to wrap up our December issue the day before Thanksgiving. We intended to finish up early, take the team out for lunch to celebrate; then let them go early to enjoy the Thanksgiving long weekend. Only comprising five days of work into three days does not always work when the majority of your clients have already checked out emotionally, making it a harder and longer process. Anyway, I have an awesome team so we just worked till we had the job done…at 6 am on Thursday morning.  We all worked straight through the night. Everyone was tired and headed off home to crash and get some sleep. However, Kimberly had other plans.

Every year on Thanksgiving she and her son, Isaiah, go feed the less fortunate at a food shelter in Los Angeles. Earlier in the day, we had filled her car with food that was generously donated to us from Panera Bread.  The car was crammed full with yummy food and tasty treats. So after pulling an all-nighter at our office, she went home, picked up her son and drove to Los Angeles to work another six hours serving food to the less fortunate. As soon as she was finished with that, she turned around and returned to Tustin to host a Thanksgiving lunch for all her friends and family.

I don’t know about you, but there was no way I had the energy to do what she was doing. Kimberly had made a commitment, her word was her bond and nothing was going to stop this woman from making it happen. Too often I’ve seen intention turn to nothing due to walking away from a commitment when it gets tough. “Don’t tell me what you are going to do, show me what you will do.” 

– John Wooden.

As we enter this holiday period between Thanksgiving and New Year, I am surprised how often I hear business owner’s compromise on their goals because of group mindset. It’s the holidays, the kids are out, and no one does business over this time, I’ll make that decision next year.

Carl Sandberg said: “There is an eagle in me that wants to soar and a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.” The key to success is to soar more than the desire to wallow. The key to a great 2014 is now, not next month. Dream big, set goals, take action, learn more and be prepared to sacrifice because it always gets tough. If it was easy, everyone would be at the top.

In this time of giving and receiving, rather be fully present and offer your full focus than buying more and more presents that we really don’t need or want. I know my daughter would rather have me spend time playing with her than another Barbie that just gets added to the pile. Go create fantastic experiences this holiday, they worth more than gold.

Happy Giving/Holiday

Ralph Harris, Editor