Published by Sterling Lithographers
THE
b ttom
LINE
“a motivational publication for business and life”
KEYS TO ACHIEVEMENT
Michael Jordan is known to his fans as “Air Jordan”, the superhero
who flies across the basketball court and hangs there as if suspended in
space. Time and again he would defy gravity to slam dunk the ball for
another big win. One sports writer described it this way, “Michael did
not just play in the NBA. He was the NBA. The Chicago Bulls’ All Star
was a sky walking super human who ruled the sport the way no other
had before him.”
In this issue
4 Keys To Achievement
4Steps To Success
4It’s Never Too Late
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Michael Jordan is also the media icon whose image enriches the brand
recognition of companies like Nike, NCI and Hanes. He is a handsome,
athletic, articulate self-made man worth more than 500 million dollars.
Although he is a successful business man, he is also a beloved husband
and father of three.
To most of us he is a superhuman, out of our league and beyond our
identity. Consider for a moment the other Michael Jordan. He was born in
Brooklyn, New York on February 17, 1963 and grew up with his father’s
quick wit and his mother’s gentle love: his was not a wealthy family.
Michael’s parents had difficulty paying the bills for their frugal lifestyle.
Michael recalls, “Although I was black, uneducated and economically
poor---I was wealthy in family life and values. I was the kind nobody
thought could make it. I was born on the wrong side of the tracks and
had little hope of breaking out.”
With persistent effort and the encouragement of a favorite uncle,
Michael began to slowly shape a future. In high school, he started to
excel in basketball. Soon others knew and convinced him that he could
indeed become a basketball superstar. As Paul Harvey loves to say - “we
know the rest of the story!” Michael Jordan became a household name,
not because of background, privilege, color or wealth. He achieved
success because he developed the ability to focus on his goals, persevere
and realize his dreams.
Not long ago, in a speech to a group of aspiring high school students,
Michael talked of “Shooting for Success.” He stated, “You don’t need
to be lucky or rich. Success isn’t the lottery. It does not strike like
lightening, nor is it a place you find when you reach some magical time
of life. Success is not a destination thing...it is a daily thing. Success is
achieved “one day at a time!”
CONTINUED ON 2ND PAGE
Tip of the Month
Sing like you know the
words;
Dance like no one’s
watching;
Love like it’s never
going to hurt.
E.L. PHELPS
Writing/Research
Doug Sider
c 2004
Contact Doug at:
dpsider@rogers.com
519.894.8254
I am a great believer in luck,
and I find that the harder I
work, the more I have of it.
STEVEN LEACOCK
THE
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STEPS TO SUCCESS
Michael Jordan’s
Steps to Success
In a recent high school address
Michael related steps he believes
could lead anyone to great
achievement. When these seven
steps become daily goals ultimate
success follows.
1.
Never let failure
have the last word
When Michael was in high school
he was cut from his varsity team.
He refused to let this deter his
determination to play the game. We
must not allow past failures to stop
us. It was Lex Person who said, “I
can accept failure. Everyone fails
at something. But I can’t accept
not trying.” When you fail, get up
and take a deep breath. Start over
again.
2.
Compete to win
Coach Phil Jackson of the Chicago
Bulls put it this way, “Michael is a
little bit of a shark. He’s competitive
to the extent that he’d like to beat
you for your last cent and send
you home without your clothes.”
Jordan’s commitment to winning
is exemplified in this statement.
“When I step on the court, I’m ready
to play ... you’d better be ready. If
you’re not going to compete, I will
dominate you.” Winners have a fire
in the belly - a passion to be the
best at what they do.
3.
CONTINUED FROM COVER
Sacrifice
Pleasure for
Opportunity
Successful people have learned the
principle of pay now play later. For
everything in life you pay a price.
You choose whether to pay on the
front end or on the back end. If
you pay first, then and only then
will you enjoy the super reward
of success. Successful people talk
about eliminating the good to
concentrate on the best.
4.
Dream Big!
Robert J. Kriegel, author of “If
It Ain’t Broke, Break It” asserts,
“We don’t have a clue as to what
people’s limits are. All the stop
watches and finish lines in the world
can’t measure human potential.”
It’s almost a given that every record
standing today is a record waiting
to be broken.
5.
Don’t Wait for
Inspiration
Basketball great, Jerry West said,
“You can’t get much done in life
if you only work on the days
when you feel good.” The people
who succeed do so because they
motivate themselves and give life
their best regardless of how they
feel. Learn to work when you feel
least motivated.
6.
Stay Focused
You have heard the phrase “jack
of all trades”. Successful people
are not jacks-of-all-trades. In fact
most are limited in many areas.
No one faulted the great hockey
player Wayne Gretzky when he
was not good at basketball. No one
expected Michael Jordan to be a
super hockey player. Great people
are usually successful in one or
two major areas. They are focused.
They choose one or two efforts and
allow themselves average abilities
in other areas.
7.
Ride the Wave
There is no other sports personality
who has capitalized on his fame
like Michael Jordan. From shoes
to film, Michael has parlayed his
talent into business success. The
lesson is profound: at the peak of
professional success, when life is
busiest, ride the wave. Most people
have a moment in time. It is the
apex of their career. Ride the wave
during the season of maximized
opportunity.
This is your life
and it’s ending one
minute at a time.
DOUG SIDER
The chief danger
in life is that you
may take too many
precautions.
ALFRED ADLER
IT’S NEVER TOO LATE
Robert Lopatin thought it was too late. As a boy, he had dreamed
of becoming a doctor. But when he went to college, he gave up the
idea. Instead, he went into the family business of manufacturing
women's clothing. He stayed there for twenty-seven years. Then
he and his father sold their business. He was about to retire.
One step further
Do more than exist:
Live
Do more than touch:
Feel
Do more than look:
Do more than read:
Do more than hear:
Observe
Absorb
Listen
Do more than listen:
Understand
Do more than think:
Reflect
Do more than just talk:
Say
something
You will be as small
as your controlling
desire; as great
as your dominant
aspiration.
JAMES ALLAN
But then, at a friend’s wedding, he sat next to a young man
who had just finished medical school.
Chatting with the doctor made him
think about his boyhood dream. And at
age fifty-five, Robert Lopatin decided
to become a doctor.
Today he is sixty-one. He graduated
from the Albert Einstein College of
Medicine and is currently serving
his residency at Montefiore Medical
Center in Bronx, New York. And he
loves every day of it --- even the one
hundred hour work weeks and the
graveyard shifts. “I feel like I died and
was reborn,” he enthused.
You may have a dream in your heart
that you think is too old to pursue. Another person may have told
you that it’s too late to go for it. But it’s not.
Writer Joseph Conrad published his FIRST novel at age fifty.
Robert Lopatin will be in his mid sixties when he BEGINS to
practice medicine as a full-fledged doctor. Artist Grandma Moses
STARTED painting when she was seventy-five years old --- and
she still had a twenty-two year flourishing career. The late Ronald
Reagan was seventy-one when he was elected President of the
United States and was re-elected at the age of seventy-five.
Pursue your dream. Go for it. No matter how farfetched it may
seem - it is never too late.
TO PONDER
People who have given up are ruled by their darkest mistakes, worst
failures, and deepest regrets. If you want to be successful, then be
governed by your finest thoughts, your highest enthusiasm, your
greatest optimism, and your most triumphant experiences.
JOHN MAXWELL
Genius???????
Sarasate, the
greatest Spanish
Violinist of the
nineteenth century,
was once called a
genius by a famous
critic. In reply
to this Sarasate
declared, “Genius!
For thirty-nine years
I’ve practiced fifteen
hours a day, and
now they call me a
genius.”
THE WAY TO THE TOP
Zig Ziglar once told the story of visiting the Washington Monument on a
trip to Washington, D.C.
As he arrived with some friends, he heard a guide announce “Ladies and
gentleman, there is currently a two-hour wait to ride the elevator to the
top of the monument.” The guide then paused a moment, smiled, and
added, “however, there is no wait should you desire to take the stairs.”
Zig’s story reveals something about success. In truth, there are no elevators
to the top. If you want to make it there, you’ve got to take a long series
of steps. Most super successful people have made success a “step at a time”.
How many steps are you willing to take? How long are you willing to
keep climbing? The answer to these questions will determine how high
you will go.