Let’s assume that you’ve stuck with my
programme so far. You’re now a well-mannered, cultured young man (or woman)
with great communication skills and impeccable personal grooming. You’re not
afraid to take a risk when necessary, and the thought of interacting with other
people is no longer terrifying. Sounds like you’re finally a success, doesn’t
it? Sounds like following my steps really paid off, right? Well, I regret to
tell you that reading this column was a complete waste of time. A total joke. A
joke, that is, unless you follow my fifteenth and final step, without which
everything that came before is worthless.
You see, to succeed in this world you need vision. It doesn’t matter how much of a
smooth-talker you are, how many expensive suits you have, or how much hard work
and effort you put in. No, what really counts is having the vision to shape
your goals and then realise them to their full potential. Would man have landed
on the moon, had Neil Armstrong not gazed up at the stars as a small child and
declared: “It can be done!”? Could we have the amazing technology we see today,
had Alfred Einstein not had the vision to challenge conventional thinking and
say that yes, things can travel
faster than the speed of light? Would we have all those great songs, had Paul
McCartney and a few other likely lads not redefined the definition of ‘rock ‘n’
roll’ with their pioneering group Wings?
If you only take one thing from this series of
columns, it should be the importance of true vision. The vision to see a door
where others see a wall. The vision to see a blue sky even when the weather
forecast predicts a 90% chance of rain. The vision to unwrap your presents when
it’s not your birthday. The vision to open your arms to the world and embrace
it all: the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the pleasant-smelling
and the malodorous. No one can really tell you how to be a success. It can’t be
broken down into a series of quick and easy steps. True greatness comes from
the vision within you. Only you can
decide where you will go in life, and how you will get there. (I don’t mean
literally what mode of transport you will take, but more the spiritual journey
you will take to reach your goals – though if you are travelling long-distance
then I would highly recommend Thai Airways. The food is good and the hostesses
are lovely.)
So, this is where I take a step back and let
you go. I’ve taken you as far as the beach, now you’ve got to get out and swim.
Go on, get in there! Swim out past the breakers, over that flat blue bit and
out towards the horizon… of greatness.
And when you do finally get to the other side? Tell them Brian sent you. They’ll
know what you mean.
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