My friend, if you have ever been in a rut, you will appreciate what I want to share with you today. To be honest, I have been in a rut many times but have always managed to have them to be short lived. The reason I have been able to do this is because I have learned what causes this condition, and then take steps to get out of it.
The reason we can stay out of a rut is to always have something interesting and exciting to do with ourselves and our time. A good example is when we are planning for a party or a vacation. It is exciting just to think about the fun and excitement we will have at these events.
As I think about my career that started back on May 1, 1970, there have been a multitude of highlights along the way. It was on this date that I went into business with my Dale Carnegie instructor, the late Bob Gannaway, to distribute the Earl Nightingale Attitude Motivation Programs that were produced back then on cassette tape. As we set about selling these motivational programs, I soon learned that our best prospects were the schools and colleges in our state. The “buzz” word for educators back in those days was “Attitude” and that is what we were selling.
It was not long before I bought a new Cadillac and was out calling on our state’s schools and colleges. At this point in my life, I was able to bring a good deal of business and practical experience to the table that I could share with teachers and students. I would soon have the opportunity, as a businessman, to do this. Here is something interesting that I also learned. I learned that most students have no goals other than going to school and receiving a diploma. Beyond this they have no idea what they want to do with their lives.
When a young person nears graduation, he or she faces a multitude of choices in planning for their life and career. Formal education should have provided basic skills, subject matter, and a limited degree of insight into the world of work. In most cases, however, our nation’s educational system does not teach students how to set and reach goals, how to develop a positive mental attitude, how to foster a healthy self-image, how to achieve financial security, and how the competitive American free enterprise works and what must be done if we are to preserve it. To be sure, today’s students face a great number of challenges.
In 1979, I began a daily radio program with the same name as this column, that has been heard on more than 300 radio stations. The research necessary to write and record those three-minute radio shows has produced a tremendous number of ideas, poems, and quotations that I will also share with you here. Many of these have been incorporated in my latest book, and in this column. My hope and prayer are that you will enjoy this new focus and challenge and will benefit immensely from it. More next week. Love Ya.
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(Jim Davidson is an author, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. For a personalized copy of Jim’s latest book “Keep Your Fork” send $25 (includes P&H & TAX) to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Dr. Conway, AR 72034.)