– He has a net worth of 250 million dollars.
– He co-founded and led the spinoff company Bain Capital.
– He is Mitt Romney
and here are his top ten rules for success.
(wind rushing) (basketball bouncing)
– I believe having a clear vision of where you want to go
and being able to articulate that to yourself.
Perhaps writing it down.
I take out the notes section of my iPad
and will write down what it is I want to accomplish
and think about precisely what I hope to accomplish
with a particular assignment, so I’ll write that down.
So having a clear objective, I think, is important.
You hear the expression all the time, you know,
the grass is greener on the other side of the fence,
but don’t forget, you can only make the grass greener
on your own side of the fence.
You can’t change the color of the grass over there.
You can only change the color of the fence on your side.
And so, the real issue is, where is the best opportunity?
Where can you find opportunities in your life?
Where is an opportunity,
for instance, to start a new business?
I’ve met a lot of entrepreneurs who started business
and most folks think that they’re going to sit down
in their study and think and think and read magazines
trying to find some opportunity that’ll allow them
to become rich by starting a business.
I haven’t found a lot of people do that.
Most of the people that I have found
that were successful in starting a business of their own
looked around them in the job they already had
and looked for opportunities that weren’t being filled
by their current enterprise.
Looked for customer needs that weren’t being met.
Looked for something
that just wasn’t working particularly well.
Through all the occupations I’ve had
I’ve experienced successes, and as you know, failures.
I’m asked what it felt like to lose to President Obama.
Not as good as winning. (crowd chuckling)
Failures aren’t fun, but they are inevitable.
More importantly, failures don’t define who you are.
Some people measure their life by their secular successes.
How high in the corporate ladder they got,
how much money they made.
Did they do better than their high school classmates?
If that’s the kind of success you’re looking for,
you’re bound to be disappointed.
Life has way too much chance and serendipity
to be assured fame or fortune.
You need to have a life coach.
You need to have someone who’ll tell you the truth.
Tell you that the perfect mate you’ve been looking for
is no more perfect than you are.
Tell you when you’re wrong.
Tell you what you need to do to make things right.
I can assure you that finding someone
who cares enough about you to tell you the truth
and then is willing to take time to give you their counsel
and their coaching, that’s invaluable.
Look for it.
My path in life has primarily been focused
on doing things I thought were fun and enjoyable.
And so, that was fun.
My undergraduate major was English.
Everyone said, “Why would you go into English,
“I mean there’s no future, right, as an English major.
“What are you going to do,” right?
But I liked reading and I liked writing so I took English
as my major and then coming out of business school,
law school I went into consulting ’cause I enjoyed it.
Not because that’s where I thought I’d spend my life.
I expected that I’d be there for two or three years,
like most people do, and then get a job
in a line corporation of some kind and perhaps move up
more aggressively by having started in consulting.
I loved consulting because I am oriented
towards solving problems, I like analysis and data
and problem solving and writing
and writing presentations, that’s what I like to do.
That’s what took me there and so,
I would follow the career path that you enjoy most
as opposed to trying to follow a career path that you think
will lead to the highest income or the quickest promotion.
Do what you enjoy and then your life will be enjoyable
and fulfilling.
Now I’m going to draw a familiar account
from the life of the Savior to help me describe
what I believe is the secret to abundant living.
You recall that Peter and the other fishermen
had been unsuccessful in catching fish
and the master directed them to return to their boats
to go out deeper and to let down their nets again
which they did and when they did so
they were met with enormous success.
These were the words that Luke records
that the master spoke, he said this,
“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets.
“Launch out into the deep and let down your nets.”
In some ways, these words are a metaphor for life.
Launch out into the deep, don’t live in the shallows.
Live in the deep waters, grasp every ennobling experience
that’s available to you.
Embrace every dimension of living that challenges you,
that educates you, that elevates you.
Live for purposes greater than yourself.
Lose yourself in the service of others.
Reach beyond the shallowness of selfishness and complacency
and mindless conformity and of indulgence.
This is the promise, launch out into the deep
and your nets will be filled.
I did something to keep things in perspective,
to keep myself grounded.
At the top of a sheet of paper that was always placed
on the podium so we could make notes during the debate,
just before the debate kicked off
I wrote at the top one word, dad.
I also drew a small image of the Sun
and throughout the debate when I glanced down at that paper
to look at my notes that I’d taken,
I was reminded of my father’s fearlessness
in fighting for what he believed was right.
And the Sun, that reminded me, of course,
of that familiar scripture, let your light so shine.
Win or lose that debate, I hoped I would never do anything
that would dishonor or discredit
the things I hold most dear.
Now during your life you’re going to encounter circumstances
that make you sweat.
For many of you, the exams and tests
won’t be over when you graduate
and you’re all going to stand at podiums,
stand in front of a boss to ask for a raise,
or work on some critical project in your employment
that’ll make a big difference in your life.
At moments like those perspective is a very powerful friend.
You can welcome perspective through preparatory prayer,
by considering the blessings of the temple,
or by simply glancing at your CTR ring.
Find ways to keep your life in perspective.
If you’re spending all of your time
in one aspect of your life and not devoting it
to other things that are important to you,
then obviously things are out of whack.
A couple of things I backed into.
You’re in the joint program, business law program.
I came from Brigham Young University to Harvard
and was convinced that I would flunk out.
‘Cause I looked around and I saw all these people
who were obviously smarter than me
and how was I possibly going to make it in this environment
except by just studying like crazy,
and so I studied all the time.
And if I was not studying, I felt like
there’s this black cloud hanging over me.
I should be studying, I’ve got to be working,
because I’m going to flunk out.
And it was omnipresent, and at some point I finally said,
you know what, I’m going to do something
which goes back to biblical times.
I’m going take Sunday off, I’m going to decide
I’m not going to study at all on Sunday
and I’m going to devote that day to my family, to worship,
and just personal time and it was amazing what happened
when I made that decision because then on that Sunday
I didn’t feel the black cloud there anymore.
It’s like, OK, I can’t study today.
I don’t have to worry about it.
And the same thing happened as I went into my career
in the consulting industry.
I said, you know what, I’m just not going to work
when I come home at the end of the day.
It may be a late night,
it may be I get home at six or seven instead,
but when I come home I’m going to close my briefcase
and not work, and I’m going to devote the time
I have at home to my family, and it was wonderful.
It was freeing, because I could really focus
on the things that I cared most about in life,
which were my wife and my kids.
Your job will expand your skills,
it will demand your ability, your energy, and your time.
Hard work, ennobling work.
Dive into your profession with passion and heart.
Go beyond what’s expected or required
and in doing so, by the way, you will learn
the secret to advancement.
And that is doing your present job well.
Each of you here will influence other lives.
Think of that.
Perhaps you’ll shape history.
Perhaps you’ll shape one person’s history.
Consider with care how you act, what you say,
and to what you’re going to devote your life to,
because I assure you, your choices
will shape the lives of other people.
– Thank you guys so much for watching.
I made this video because iambergeson asked me to.
So if there’s a famous entrepreneur
you want me to profile next,
leave it in the comments below
and I’ll see what I can do.
I’d also love to know which of the 10 rules
meant the most to you, had the biggest impact.
Leave it in the comments, I’m going to join in the discussion.
Thank you guys so much for watching.
Continue to believe, and I’ll see you soon.
(wind howling) (basketball bouncing)
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