An American of Scottish descent, Andrew Carnegie made his wealth in the steel business. One of the most generous industrialists in history, and his name is synonymous with benevolence and the betterment of society.
Carnegie was born in Scotland in 1835, but he and his family eventually moved to the United States. At 16, he became a telegrapher, and later he worked for railroads. In the 1870s, Carnegie started his foray into the steel industry by establishing the Carnegie Steel Company, which would go on to become one of the world's most prestigious and influential steel manufacturers.
Carnegie was wealthy and successful, but he still encountered many obstacles in his life and work. The catastrophic recession the United States economy endured during the Panic of 1893 was one of the biggest setbacks. A lot of Carnegie's wealth was lost during this period. But eventually, he was able to recoup it through a string of profitable investments and business initiatives.
Carnegie later sold his steel company to J.P. Morgan in 1901 for a then-record $480 million. He put the money from the sale toward his charitable goals, such as the building of museums, universities, and libraries all throughout the world. Carnegie passed away in 1919, but he was remembered as a titan of industry and an icon of the American Dream.
What could have Carnegie done when he lost all of his fortune during the Panic. He could as well have cried "poor me" When he lost all his money, he had every reason to give up. To be sure, it begs the question, why didn't he. Why did he attempt to get the spigot running again? What typically causes water to cease flowing from a faucet is not the spigot itself wearing out, but rather a blockage in the pipe leading to the spigot. And more often than not, it is you yourself who is the clog in your own spigot.
Most of us have been on this earth long enough to know that anything that could go wrong usually does. Referring to Murphy's laws Murph my man wasn't the most optimistic but he was telling the truth. But what it boils down to is realizing that life is never happening to you it is always happening for you. The reason you are going through that trial, obstacle, or facing some type of adversity. It is allowing you to get out of that comfortable place that you are in. It is like you going to fight a world war don't you need to be tested in order to know that you are prepared for the battle ahead.
That is exactly what you are facing when the spigot is clogged up. It takes self-analysis to understand how you can improve to get the water running again. You are the only one that can change. You are the one that has no limits. You are the one who has had success and if you have had it before means you can have it again. It is knowing that it is not what happens to you that really matters but it is what you do about it that determines whether you are a success or failure.
And to be clear the word failure is an event, not a person. You are only a failure if you never dust yourself off and try again.
We have all had success in the past and are more likely to feel that we will continue to have success in the future. But what this does is generate complacency and a lack of readiness for the obstacles and failures that are an unavoidable part of life, the assumption that success will always be in our favor can, in the end, be deadly. It is essential to approach achievement with a spirit of humility as well as a willingness to put in a lot of effort and prevail over obstacles.
At this point, it ought to be clear that success is by no means assured. Every morning as we open our eyes, we are required to make a payment toward our success, much like a rent payment on the first of the month. Regardless of your background, social status, or family connections, life will treat you the same. All it cares about is whether or not you're willing to put in 120% effort with absolutely no assurance of reward.
That, I've realized, is the essence of courage. Having courage means you're willing to put in 120% effort into your personal, professional, and spiritual development, regardless of the outcome. It requires guts to pursue material success, faith in a higher power, and a healthy lifestyle. Having the guts to get out of bed every day and force yourself to deliver nothing less than your absolute best is a feat in and of itself.
Have you got the guts to actually do it?
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