More of what I wish I knew when I was you. This is intended for anyone stuck, no matter where you are in your working life.

Looking back on when I began my career, it is apparent that I slept through the first 10 years, accepting what I thought was my lot.  I was from a poor neighborhood; my dad was a high school dropout and I’d quit college after just one year.  After my stint in the US Navy, I managed to get a job in sales, making a modest income.  I thought that I was lucky to have even that, rather than unloading trucks, laboring outdoors, or getting a civil service job like most of my friends. The stored standard I held of my place in the socioeconomic heap was at the low end with the high end reserved for the educated and those fortunate to be better born than me. None of that was true.  I had no idea of the abundance of love, wealth, friendship, and assistance the universe held for anyone willing to find it. They say that you can’t put old heads on young bodies but, perhaps, some people reading this can catch on sooner than I did.  Life turned out great for me.  I have no regrets. And while I know that I am blessed and grateful for all that I have, I also have the benefit of hindsight and can offer this list of what I wish I had known during though first ten, uninspired years:

I wish I knew that most success was about work, not luck or station.

I wish I knew there was no ceiling.  That I was not preordained to a mediocre income.

I wish I knew enough to work hard on things that came easy.

I wish I knew how willing successful people are to share what they know.

I wish I knew that I could say no and still be liked and respected.

I wish I knew that silence could appear cleverer than a clever remark.

I wish I knew that simple planning could stretch time.

I wish I knew that earnest goalsetting works.

I wish I knew that you weren’t better than me, only better trained.

I wish I knew that people skills were worth more than an MBA.

I wish I knew that listening trumps speaking when you want to convince folks of your point of view.

I wish I knew, as Jim Rohn said, that you must work harder on yourself than you do on your job.

I wish I knew that employing good systems made dreams come true.

I wish I understood that my limitations were self-imposed.

I wish I knew that people mattered most.

Most of all, I wish I knew that anything was possible; that the people I sought out and associated with would help to shape my destiny, and that nothing can be given away; whatever you give comes back tenfold.

Own Your Sales Gene…