Success is a Journey
by Joe Bonura, CSP

Should'a, Could'a, Would'a

There is no such thing as should'a, could'a, would'a. What you do now is significant! The only thing between you and the success that you were born to experience is YOU. As the cartoon character Pogo said, "We have met the enemy and he is us." Actually, change that to, "I have met the enemy, and he is ME."

I Will

In his book, Lonely on the Mountain, Louis L'Amour writes, "There are two kinds of people in this world: those who wish, and those who will." Those who wish don't seem to get anywhere. It is those who will, who begin and then accomplish. Do you have the wish to succeed, or the will to succeed?

Where there is a Will, there is a Way

If you have the will to succeed, this may motivate you toward your destiny. And, what is your destiny? If you do not know where you are going, it is impossible to get there. Another way to say it is, if you do not know where you are going, you have already arrived.

Getting By, Or Getting Ahead

I was married at 19 years old, and my goal or destiny was to take home a paycheck each week. Every week I would look to see if the i's were dotted and the t's were crossed on my paycheck. I had no other destiny but to make a living and pay the bills. So that is exactly what I spent my time doing—earning enough money to get by.

Wake Up and Succeed

Driving to work one morning, I heard Earl Nightingale on the radio. He said that I could have, be, or do anything I wanted in life if I knew what that anything was. Until then, I had no goal, so he motivated me to consider a profession that excited me.

Yahoo!

I was fascinated with advertising, so I researched the subject in the library. The more that I read, the more excited that I became. I had discovered my Yahoo factor.

When I flew solo in an airplane for the first time, and when the plane touched down on the runway, my exhilaration in completing the task was a resounding yell of "Yahoo!"

A Reason To Get Out Of Bed

Once I had a destination, I could turn on my success engine and focus on the results. I had a reason, besides my paycheck, to get up in the morning. I was excited and motivated every time I thought about advertising, so I went back to school to study marketing. I was on my way to attaining the skills required for the advertising profession.

Destination + Will = Future

Setting further goals, I wrote on paper, Bon Advertising Agency, my commitment to open an advertising agency by the time I was thirty years old. I was twenty-nine years and nine months old when I opened Bon Advertising Agency that became the second largest advertising agency in the state— all because I had a destination and a will.

You can do the same thing once you know your goal and your Yahoo factor. Those are the two powerful questions you will answer in your lifetime. Most people don't succeed because they don't set goals. Write these two questions on a three-by-five card and carry them with you for the next thirty days:

• What do I see myself having, being, or doing ten years from now?
• What is my Yahoo factor?

 

We Become What We Think About

I saw myself owning an advertising agency, living in a nice home, driving a nice car, sending my kids to college, having money to help others in need. Every time I thought about the outcomes, my subconscious mind would say, "Yahoo!"

Enjoy The Journey

Success is a journey, not a destination. When I was 16 years old, my sister and her husband took me on a trip from New Orleans to Sacramento. When the trip started, I was very excited about visiting Sacramento, but I did not realize how much fun I would have along the way. We stopped at The Alamo, Grand Canyon, Carlsbad Caverns, The Painted Desert, and I can still remember Flagstaff, Arizona, where I had the best Mexican food I have ever eaten.

Do What You Love, And You Will Love What You Do

The same thing was true about my journey to open my advertising agency. I started out with the goal in mind, but it was the journey that I really enjoyed. I worked in media sales; I was an ad manager with General Electric; I became a vice president at an advertising agency—all before opening my own agency. The journey was incredible.

Bloom Where You Are Planted

You can also bloom where you are planted. Maybe now is the time to ask yourself why you are in the career you are in. Do you remember the thrill of your first day on the job? Why not rekindle that excitement for what you do? A job will only give back to you what you put into the job. Read some books on your industry. Consider your profession from the standpoint of what you do for your customers, and imagine their lives without your services. Yell "Yahoo!" every time you get in the car after making a sale.

It's The Real Thing

If you can't get excited about what you do, move over and allow someone else, who would love to have your job, to take your position. Then get a job doing something you really enjoy doing—something that will make you say "Yahoo!" every morning when you get out of bed. Your life on earth is not a dress rehearsal—it is the real thing.

Click this link to See Joe's live video on YouTube.com on one of the most important gifts that you can give . . . A Smile

REPRINT info:
Joe Bonura would be pleased for you to reprint the article text free of charge (non-exclusively), but asks that you include his name and contact information:

Joe Bonura
Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc.
Website: www.bonura.com
407 Landis Lakes Court
Louisville, KY  40245
(800) 444-3340 toll free
(502) 244-0087 phone
E-mail: sales@bonura.com

About Joe Bonura

His background is unique. Joe owned and operated a highly successful advertising agency for 18 years. During that time, he found his advertising campaigns were more effective when he educated his clients in the areas of sales and service. He conducted training seminars for his clients as added value. Word spread that Joe was a quality speaker and more and more people asked him to speak. The demand became so high that he sold the agency to three of his associates to start his own speaking and consulting company, Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc.

Joe is past President of the Kentucky Speakers Association and a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a prestigious designation earned by only 8% of the 3,600 member National Speakers Association. Joe presently serves on the board of directors of NSA.

He is author of the audio learning systems "Three-Dimensional Selling®" and "Turning Customer Satisfaction Into Customer Excitement®." He is author of the book Throw the Rabbit—The Ultimate Approach to Three-Dimensional Selling.

Click here TO ENGAGE JOE BONURA FOR A TRAINING SEMINAR AT YOUR COMPANY