From Chapter 10 “Optimism/Enthusiasm” in Ingredients of Outliers. The Electricity of Life One characteristic that, in my experience, goes hand in hand with optimism is enthusiasm. That’s certainly been the case with the optimists I’ve known and it’s true in my life as well. In fact, “enthusiasm” is listed among the synonyms I found for “optimism.” One of my favorite definitions of enthusiasm came from a man named Gordon Parks. "Enthusiasm,” he wrote, “is the electricity of life. How do you get it? You act enthusiastic until you make it a habit. Enthusiasm is natural; it … [Read more...]
Tolerating Risk
From Chapter 7, "Tolerating Risk- Being a Doer, Not a Dreamer" in Ingredients of Outliers Years ago, in the Funky Winkerbean comic strip, Tony, the owner of the local pizza joint, is giving some business advice to the teenaged Funky and his friends. I don’t remember the exact words, but Tony explains to them that the way to make a small fortune in business is—to start out with a large fortune. By the way, the same holds true in aviation. The standing joke is that if you want to make a lot of money in aviation, start with a lot of money. Just ask Frank Lorenzo, former CEO of bankrupt … [Read more...]
Risk Taking: When to Dismount a Dead Horse
Taking risks is no doubt scary, there is no definite outcome, and there is no guarantee for success. But risk-takers are the people who make history. People who take calculated risks are often the ones who reap extraordinary benefits. Taking risks and failure go hand in hand and you shouldn’t be afraid to do either if you want to set your goals high. When it comes to entrepreneurial ventures, Dr. Shufeldt is the first to admit he has made mistakes, and some ideas have never come to fruition. But trying, and taking that leap of faith is what creates innovation and breakthroughs in … [Read more...]