But don’t let the simplicity of the book fool you (don’t judge a book by its format).  There are lots of little jams in here.  It is particularly interesting to learn how this sports-team owner billionaire started. You have to love the humility in a title that says : “If I  Can Do It, You Can Do It”.  When you read the book you feel like this is something anyone can do. You get the sense that Mark was just a guy like you and I.  He may have had a little luck, but he always talks about hard work and getting prepared, and I think this has a lot to do with Mark’s success.

If you are going to skip around and not read it like a book, go straight to the last chapter: Twelve Cuban Mantras for Success.  Every single one of Mark’s mantras resonate with everything this site is about.  We’ll review three of them here, but you need to get the book to get the full story:

Time is More Valuable Than Money

You may have heard that time is money, but did you ever think that time was more valuable than money?  Mark is absolutely right when he says that how wisely you use your time will have far more impact on your success than any amount of money.

Expect the Unexpected and Always de Ready

Preparation is so important for success, and yet it is amazing how many people want to just wing it and not spend the time and energy required to prepare.  When you are prepared you feel secure and gain the confidence required to be truly successful.

Everyone Gets Down; The Key is How Soon You Get Back Up

This is so true.  You will not always feel motivated, successful, and there will be times when you feel defeated.  But you have to get up and keep on going.  Those that do, succeed.

Mark Cuban on Success is a post from: Worldwide Success

From bouncer to technology salesman at TrueSan Networks, to entrepreneur, Tim worked very hard until he realized he was spending too much of his time working and not enough “living”.

Watch the whole story here:

Learn More About Tim Ferriss is a post from: Worldwide Success

You probably have hear of Jim Collins, but if you have not, let me direct you to a few points of reference.  First, check out the previous articles we published on this Jim Collins Series:

Great Lessons on Success: Jim Collins Interviewed by Charlie Rose

Jim Collins on Motivation

Jim is the author of several bestselling books, including:

Great by Choice

Good to Great

How the Mighty Fall

Built to Last

Now that you have been introduced to Jim, let’s get back to the point of this article.  It is called the First Who Concept.  Remember this every time you are faced with a difficult challenge in business: First Who.  I’ll let Jim explain to you firsthand what First Who is all about.  Watch it below:

The First Who Concept by Jim Collins is a post from: Worldwide Success

In this post we want to continue a “Jim Collins Series” and discuss motivation.  It is a well known factor that great things are achieved through others.  But one of the most discussed topics in management circles is how do you motivate people.  Management comes up with all kinds of gimmicks to get employees motivated, from spot bonuses, to on site laundry and massages, to allowing people to spend a portion of their time on whatever project they want to work on. 

But it seems that no matter how ingenious some of these motivational techniques are, they all have some limitations.    Once such limitation is that once these motivational techniques lose their novelty, they start being taken for granted and the motivational impact is no longer the same.

If you, like many managers around the globe, have been struggling with the question of how to get people motivated, I have a great insight from Jim Collins to share with you.  Have you ever considered that you may be asking the wrong question?  Listen to the video below which may open your eyes to a completely new approach to this issue:

Jim Collins on Motivation is a post from: Worldwide Success

I particularly enjoyed the part when they started talking about Steve Jobs what made him so successful.  Here a few take aways that I noted:

-          What is it about?  Zoom out and ask yourself this big question for everything you do in life.  Why are you doing it?  What is your motivation?  What do you really, deeply want?  What is your true passion?

-          Great leaders are all about people.  It’s all about choosing the very best people to answer the questions you need answered and carry out the tasks you need accomplished.

-          Innovation is not enough.  You need to be able to scale innovation, and scaling innovation also requires discipline.  That is why Jobs became even more successful when he returned to Apple.

-          Experiment. Adjust.  Tweak.  Shoot little bullets first until you hit the target before you shoot the big cannon.

-          Don’t be quick to react to a crisis.  First asks the question: how much time do I have before my risk profile changes?  An then take the time you have to really understand what you are dealing with before you react.

You can watch the whole interview on www.chalierose.com but here is a snapshot of the discussion around leadership:

Great Lessons on Success: Jim Collins Interviewed by Charlie Rose is a post from: Worldwide Success

So, when I saw the story of Trisha Waldron, I had to share it with you.  At the age of 28, Trisha was barely surviving on food stamps.  With no college degree, no work experience, this single mom did not know what to do with her life.  Until one afternoon she heard a teacher say to a student: “You can create your own life”.  Trisha took that advice to heart, and at that moment her life changed forever. 

It never ceases me to amaze how the mind is so powerful, and how a few simple words can change your life.  To learn more about Trisha’s inspiring story read the article entitled Welfare mom creates million dollar biz: how she did it.

At the end of the article Trisha leaves us with some very powerful advices that are applicable to everyone’s success journey.  Here are my 3 favorite ones:

• “Your responsibility is to be clear about your vision”  – in other words, create a vision for the life you want and don’t let others define that vision for you.
• “Surround yourself with people who support you” – seek those people that believe in you, and avoid those people who bring negativity into your life.
• “Realize that it will be hard, and accept that” – don’t expect an easy ride, and accept that success is a journey down a road full of obstacles.

From Welfare to Million Dollar Business is a post from: Worldwide Success

If achieving your goal is the equivalent of running a marathon, don’t think about the 26 miles ahead of you.  Think about completing the first mile.  And once you’ve done that, think about the next mile.  And before you know it, you will be close to the finish line.

Watch the inspirational video below about the story of how taking that one step made all the different to one person’s life:

How Close Are You to Success? is a post from: Worldwide Success

If we can find the answer to this simple question perhaps we can find the secret to success.  And when it comes to find clever answers to difficult questions, what better place than Ted Talks, a place where great intellectual discussions take place.

Listen to what career analyst Dan Pink has to say about the science of motivation and see if you find some insights that will help you in your success journey:

The Surprising Science of Motivation is a post from: Worldwide Success

You have to admire a guy to had the guts to sell all the shares of the company he founded once he was ousted by a misguided board of directors.  The board obviously didn’t see at the time that Steve was the heart and soul of Apple Computers and that without him the company was doomed.  Steve went out and started other companies investing all his money, and at a certain point he almost lost all his wealth.   But eventually he succeeded – and what a sweet revenge it was to go back to Apple and save it from a disastrous existence without him at the helm.

So what makes Steve so successful?   Listen to his own explanation:

Steve Jobs’ Rules for Success is a post from: Worldwide Success

So how can we best advise young people about success?  What are some of the real world challenges they need to be prepared to face as adults?  Are there any specific success rules that they should follow?

As we have tried to communicate in the hundreds of articles on this site, success is a multi-dimensional concept, and there is no one-size-fits-all answer to young people’s quest for success.  But if I were looking for a succinct summary of key concepts to be considered in the pursuit of success, I would want to hear it from one of the most successful people on the planet.

To that end, read carefully the 11 rules from the speech given by Bill Gates to the Mt. Whitney High School Graduating class in Visalia, CA.  Reflect upon his message and you may pick a few gems that you may be able to apply to your own life.  But before you do, let me warn you.  Bill is not going to sugarcoat this.  He is not going to try to make you feel good by saying that “you are special”.  He is going to be very honest and tell you the reality of what it takes to be successful in a brutally competitive world.  Enjoy it:

Rule 1: Life is not fair. Get used to it.

Rule 2: The world won’t care about your self-esteem. However, the world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you start feeling good about yourself.

Rule 3: You will NOT make $40,000 a year right out of high school, and you won’t be a vice-president with a car phone until you earn both.

Rule 4: If you think your teacher is tough, wait until you get a boss.

Rule 5: Flipping burgers at McDonalds should not be beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping … they called it OPPORTUNITY.

Rule 6: If you mess up, it’s not your parents’ fault, so don’t whine.

Rule 7: Before you were born, your parents weren’t as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parents’ generation, try delousing the closet in your own bedroom.

Rule 8: Your school may have done away with recognizing that there are winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have even abolished failing grades, and they’ll give you as much time as you want to get the right answer on an exam. This doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

Rule 9: Life is not divided into semesters. You don’t get summers off, and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. You are supposed to do that on your own time.

Rule 10: Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop, and go out and find a job.

Rule 11: Be nice to NERDS. Chances are you will end up working for one.

Bill Gates 11 Rules of Success for High School Graduates is a post from: Worldwide Success