AR November 2006

You should know by now whether the achievement of significant success is a true desire in your heart. Do you want it badly enough to make the necessary sacrifices? I’ve shown you some of what it takes. I’ve shown you what I think has made the difference for me.

My next question requires a personal answer: Do you have the passion? That might be a tough question. Only you know the answer and only you can benefit from it. But you’ve got to have passion. You have to want success enough to give something up, to forego something today. Different people have different levels of passion and show it in different ways.

I always say I am shot out of bed on a rocket and my hands shake for the need to be at work. (I am quick to point out, however, that different folks hold different levels of ambition and that not everybody’s like me.)

The primary difference between any two people is visible in the beginning; it is the difference in their private sense of passion. One person may want success enough to sacrifice for it, to put off gratification of temporary fulfillment for a stronger business position. Another person will simply have no desire to advance beyond where he started. The lack of motivation leads to a place where he just doesn’t care. He throws the blame elsewhere, taking none of it himself. He basically acts like a weak employee rather than the owner or entrepreneur he purports to be.

Do everything in your grasp to crystallize a strong vision for a highly successful career. Look at the characteristics of others who already hold a position of success. Imitate them. Emulate those characteristics. Develop the passion in your heart by sharpening the vision of where you’d like to be. Make a three-year plan. Make a five-year plan. Create a ten-year plan. It may seem very difficult for you to do this. You’ll probably find that the further out you look, the more vague the vision becomes. Maybe you don’t yet really know where you want to go, who you want to be.

Create the passion, and then apply yourself. Have fun at what you do, or you will never be your best.

Don’t forget to subscribe to Ron's free monthly auto recycling e-newsletter, with news and tips, register at www.autosalvageconsultant.com.

Ron Sturgeon is past owner of AAA Small Car World. In 1999, he sold his six Texas locations, with 140 employees, to Greenleaf. In 2001, he founded North Texas Insurance Auction, which he sold to Copart in 2002. In 2002, his book “Salvaging Millions” was published to help small business owners achieve significant success, and was recently reprinted. In June 2003, he joined the new ownership and management team of GreenLeaf. He also manages his real estate holdings and investments. You can learn more about him at WWW.autosalvageconsultant.com He can be reached at 5940 Eden, Haltom City, TX 76117, rons@rdsinvestments.com or 817-834-3625 ext 6#.