Success & Motivation - Redux

Dec 1st 2005 4:24AM

Some of the stuff i write is good. Some of it aint. Some I write because i want to make a point. Some I write because I want to get feedback and learn more.

Some have turned into favorites. Given ive been writing this going on 2 years now, i decided to bring back a couple faves and provide links to them.

First on my list are the posts Ive written about Success & Motivation. I get so many questions about how I got "lucky" so many times, things I have done that have worked or not. Experiences I have had. This series of entries, written more than a year ago, I think, bring back some great memories for me and I think are worth sharing again.

Success & Motivation Part 1 Coming to dallas without a job.

Success & Motivation Part 2 My first job in Dallas, lessons learned and teaching myself how to use a PC

Success & Motivation Part 3 Fired - and ready to start MicroSolutions

Success & Motivation Part 4 Some early lessons learned

Success & Motivation - You only have to be right once

The Sport of Business - Competition in the businessworld puts any sport to shame

Goals - An Interview I did with Young Money

Its funny how many times I have gone back and read or looked at the above posts. I hope they give you the same pick me up that they give me

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. Sweet, I love your post and am looking forward to spending some time reading through your "Success & Motivation" series!

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Mike C

2. Very motivating Mark! Take care.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Eric Engen

3. Great postings Mark, extremely informative and entertaining. It certainly helps to know that the things I have to go through on a daily basis is not so uncommon after all.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Shaun Shull

4. Great read. I liked the site, and it is very informtive and motivational. I have always admired your tenacity, the ability to see trends, and succeed in whatever you do. Vinod

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Vinod Keni

5. Inspirational. I can't count how many people I've told that I�m studying wine (and everything relating to the wine industry) only to have them ask me what job I plan to get by studying wine. They don't get it. It seems to me, truly successful people learn an entire industry by working many jobs in it and reading everything they can get their hands on about it. Mediocre people do and learn what they need to get a job within an industry. Not that there�s anything wrong with that, the world needs those sorts of people. Could you please give us more insight into what papers, magazines, books and sites you are reading? Thank you.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Thomas Kisthart

6. nice

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by penis enlargement

7. Your stories have inspired me to finally take the challenge of moving to Australia to be with my litle Son.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Drug Stown

8. Excellent motivator... Everyone calls you lucky without knowing how many different concepts you tried and looked it.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Sam

9. My family has been on my case about a year about keeping a large portion of my company's retained earnings in cash. They do not understand the importance of keeping adequate working capital for your own business and investing only in companies where you have an information advantage or an influential role.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by wow powerleveling

10. In conclusion, it was easy for me to judge a book by it's cover early on when I learned about Mark but today your message has hit home and I see past the lights and microphones of ESPN after an NBA game.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by runescape money

11. that was a good read

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Nick Regelman

12. Believe it or not, but I find "The Sport of Business" one of the most inspirational papers about how to be ready to be good in your (my) business. For all those that we are creating a company and really working hard on it, is the way to follow. And it�s pretty simple: work harder, be better, know more, be focus. Thanks for it, Mark

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Javier (Madrid, Spain)

13. That's why I read your blog every day :) I've got so many ideas, and I'm working on making them happen. I know one of them will work in the end.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Jim Martin

14. Mark, while you have many commendable characteristics, people in this world who succeed so largely seem to have one thing above all: initiative. Ideas, integrity, charisma--all of these things are wonderful, but nothing compares with getting out there every day and going after a thing with all your might.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by James Vaughn

15. "No job. No money. No way to pay the bills. But I had nice towels." I don't know why but that line cracked me up.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Timothy Ross

16. Mark, it is a remarkable coincidence that, over this past Thanksgiving weekend, I was reading some of your old blog entries. I even discussed you and some of your entries in my own blog; http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=27405030&blogID=64088959&Mytoken=ea39bd6d-cb75-475e-9528-0a2765669801 The success and motivation entries are great. I think it's pretty cool that you happened to reminisce on these the same week I was discovering them. One of life's little coincidences. I love your blog. I appreciate the opportunity to have a glimps inside the life and mind of a true American success story such as yourself. Cheers, Corey

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Corey

17. Hi Mark, This evening I was revisiting your "Success & Motivation" blog entries as I was tracking the Mavs/Spurs game on NBAcom.... In reading "Success & Motivation Part 1" an otherwise insignificant detail caught my attention. There was something I could relate to....Fiat X19.... The first car I ever purchased was a Fiat X19....I was 16 years old and proud to make my first major purchase! I remember my dad thought I was "too big for such a small car" (I'm 6'1") I wasn't deterred by his concern however; I really wanted that car....I had seen the Fiat X19 referred to as a "Baby Ferrari" in a car magazine! My X19 was a puke green color and the passenger side of the car looked like it had been driven too close to a barbed wire fence. I remember driving the Fiat home from Woodland, CA (15 minutes north of ARCO Arena) in 3rd gear....I told my dad that there was a "problem with the clutch"....(Might have been the driver?) Still, I was proud....I knew the chicks would dig the hardtop/convertible once I got the rest of the car fixed up. Those are good memories.... I'm surprised to read that you owned a Fiat X19 as well....The world just got smaller (for me)....Pretty cool. Thanks for sharing.... Jim Parham Yuba City, CA

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by StockMaverick

18. Haha....I bought towels too! Thats when you know you've arrived. Its great to hear success stories. When I read The Sport of Business I sent it to all my friends. It really is a great source of motivation.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Dan C

19. Your stories have inspired me to finally take the challenge of moving to Australia to be with my Son. Thank you for your notes of courage.

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by Smorty

20. One final thought.... From what I read of the entries you referenced above, my perception is that you place a premium on knowledge and on understanding a business better than the competition? KNOWLEDGE.... ....Perhaps this is too philosophical, but I believe all knowledge, every conceivable idea, already exists in the universe. From my perspective (and I'm not an educated person), it seems that specific knowledge, and true genius, only reveals itself to certain people. Those certain people, like yourself, are better "tuned in" to receive that particular knowledge, or creativity.... No doubt you're a genius Mark....The way you blend ideas to come up with new concepts; new twists for old ideas. I suppose that is your "gift." (BTW....For all the cynics out there, I'm not trying to be a "kiss ass"....I'm conveying a true belief.) I've often wondered why some people have "natural talent" ....while others do not. Why is it that Stevie Ray Vaughan was a musical genius, yet I struggle to imitate his most basic guitar licks? My belief is this....All knowledge and creativity already exists, this information is flowing throughout the universe....Kind of like radio stations of consciousness. A great guitarist like SRV was better "tuned in" to that particular stream of universal musical knowledge....In other words, Stevie Ray Vaughan had better reception for the musical knowledge that already existed in the universe, therefore he became a musical genius. He channeled that "radio station" better than I am able to.... I'm sure some of your readers are scratching their heads, or rolling their eyes, at my comments. I guess what I'm trying to say is that we all have to find which "radio station" we are best tuned in to....Then we will find our true genius and reach our fullest potential as individuals. By the way, I'm 36 years old and I have yet to find my best "reception"....I'm not sure which station I'm best tuned to....but I'm still looking.... (P.S. I wish I could articulate the thoughts above more clearly.) Jim Parham Yuba City, CA

Posted at 11:04AM on Aug 28th 2006 by StockMaverick

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