The Common Denominator of Success

In 1940 (I know, that's a long time ago), Albert E.N. Gray delivered a major address at the NALU annual convention in Philadelphia. Mr. Gray was known throughout the U.S. as a writer and speaker on life insurance subjects. Mr. Gray has long since passed away, but his words of wisdom and moving philosophy live on to this day. I'm quoting verbatim, so please look through the lack of current political correctness, it was delivered 73 year ago.

"The common denominator of success - the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful - lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do

It's just a true as it sounds and it's just as simple as it seems. You can hold it up to the light, you can put it to the acid test, and you can kick it around until it's worn out, but when you are all through with it, it will still be the common denominator of success, whether you like it or not.

It will still explain why men have come into this business of ours with every apparent qualification for success and given us out most disappointing failures, while others have come in the achieved outstanding success in spite of many obvious and discouraging handicaps. And since it will also explain your future, it would seem to be a mighty good idea for you to use it in determining just what sort of a future you are going to have. In other words, let's take this beg, all-embracing secret and boil it down to fit the individual you.

If the secret of success lies in forming the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do, let's start the boiling-down process by determining what are the things that failures don't like to do. The things that failures don't like to do are the very things that you and I and other human beings, including successful men, naturally don't like to do. In other works, we've got to realize right from the start that success is something which is achieved by the minority of men, and is therefore unnatural and not to be achieved by following our natural likes and dislikes nor by being guided by our natural preferences and prejudices.

But if they don't like to do these things, then why do they do them? Because by doing the things they don't like to do, they can accomplish the things they want to accomplish. Successful men are influenced by the desire for pleasing results. Failures are influenced by the desire for pleasing methods and are inclined to be satisfied with such results as can be obtained by doing things they like to do."

Something to ponder on this Sunday afternoon...at least it's the afternoon where I live in the first state, Delaware, U.S.A.