“The two kinds of people who
never get ahead are those who will not do what they are told and those who do
only what they are told.”
– Napoleon Hill
(1883-1970)
Author/Speaker
"A wise man will
hear and increase in learning, and a man of understanding will
acquire wise counsel."
- Solomon
The Book of
Proverbs 1:5 / NASV
Let me make a wild guess.
If you are reading this , you are human.
I do not believe that any other creatures on the planet will be pulling
blogs up on their computer and reading them.
Having guessed that correctly, now let me make some assumptions about
you. You are most likely a life coach or
have an interest in coaching. Many or
your clients, as well as yourself, consider themselves success-minded people. I think that you are all creative, goal
driven and able to achieve the things you want.
At the same time, you and your clients may fall into one of the two
categories that Hill mentions in the quote above. You are obedient and do just what you are
told or you are defiant and do not do what you are told.
So why
are these two conditions a disaster for success? Let's look at them one at a time and see some
very obvious flaws that show up.
1) Those who do not do what they
are told
Those
who do not do what they are told may see themselves as independent thinkers but
they tend to prove themselves to be foolish.
For one, if someone has come for coaching, and they show a lack of
willingness to follow the directions that you are giving, they show themselves
to be defiant, untrustworthy and unreliable.
All are not qualities of a successful person. Those who always think they know best are
those who usually know the least and therefore never achieve the success they
seek. Of course, they are also the ones
who believe their lack of success is everyone else's fault. These are the ones who will claim you are a
poor coach rather than they are a poor client.
2) Those who only do what they are
told
Those
who do only what they are told show that they do not think for themselves, are
not creative and will never give more than they have to. Total obedience is often as much a sign of
rebellion as those who never do what they are told. It is a way of saying that you only get what
you ask me to do; no more. These people
are expecting the coach to do all the work for them and are unwilling to think
for themselves. Their work tends to be
nothing short of mediocre; and no one pays for mediocre.
3) Those who achieve success
A truly
success-minded person understands that it is a sign of good workmanship and
faithfulness to do what their coach has asked them to do. When given an assignment to carry out, they
do it to the letter and do it the best that they can. They also know that good work does not stop
with doing what you are told.
Success-minded people understand the principle of going the extra mile. That is when you use your creative thinking to do even more than you are asked. You do the extra, the better job, not for a
reward (although they do come to those who show they earn them) but because you
strive for excellence in all you do.
Help
your clients to be the person who knows how to follow direction and how to do
what is asked of them. Add to that their
creative thinking and abilities that will give the end product as something far
beyond what was expected. The task is
done, but it is done with excellence and skill, every time. You will find that the success of your
clients, and yourself will be in greater amounts than what was expected. This is a principle that always works both
ways. Try it and see if I am wrong.
You matter to the world. You are here to make a difference and that
difference is good. Remember the
qualities of a real success-minded person: Be your best. Love God.
Have good manners. Discover the unknown.
Change the world.
John Patrick Hickey is an author, speaker,
and Life Coach. To read more from John Patrick Hickey or to get his books,
training and book him to speak to your church, business or group, visit our
website at http://www.growthcenter.net or www.johnpatrickhickey.com.
© 2014 John
Patrick Hickey
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