Abraham Lincoln was the
16th President of the United States. He served from March 1861 until his
assassination in April 1865. Lincoln successfully led the United States through
its darkest hour … the American Civil War. In the end, Lincoln was
able to preserve the Union and end slavery.
Here are some of his life lessons:
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Prepare for
Success
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will
spend the first four hours sharpening the axe.”
Before you can succeed, you
must prepare. When Lincoln was an unknown attorney in the backwoods of Illinois
he was preparing for success, when Lincoln became an Illinois State Senator, he
was preparing for success, and even when he lost the election for the U.S.
senate twice, he was preparing for success. What are you doing in preparation
for success? Lincoln said, “I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”
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Hustle
“Things may come to those who wait, but only the
things left by those who hustle.”
You can’t stroll to a goal,
you must hustle; you must move quickly in order to gain the momentum necessary
to break free from the gravitational pull of the commonplace. The best things
in life come to those who hustle. Are you hustling?
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Remember That
Greatness is Possible
“That some achieve great success, is proof to all
that others can achieve it as well.”
If someone else can succeed
in the business that you’re in, that is proof that you can succeed as well. If
someone else can become rich in the state that you’re in, that is proof that
you become rich as well. You have all that the greatest of men have had: a
mind, and a will. Don’t make excuses, if someone else can do it, so can you… And who knows? You may be able to do it faster and better; never underestimate
you abilities.
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Become Worthy
of a Good Reputation
“Reputation is like fine china, once broken it's very
hard to repair.”
Work to be, the way you
want to be perceived. Don’t try to look good, be good. A good name is more
valuable than fine gold and “choice” rubies.
Practice
becoming honorable.
You can be just as honest,
have just as much integrity, walk in just as much humility, and possess just as
much discipline as the greatest men who have ever lived.
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Make the Years
Count
“And in the end, it's not the years in your life that
count. It's the life in your years.”
Lincoln didn’t live to a
very old age, but the “life in his years” made a
profound impact on the world. Are you making your years count? Are you changing
the world? You’re capable of it; if you’re able to read and
understand these words, then you have the ability to make a profound impact,
and that’s not just meaningless rhetoric, it’s a very real reality, but will
you grasp it, will you believe it and make it “your” reality.
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See the
Brighter Side of Things
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or
rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
If you look for something
to complain about, you will certainly find it! There’s “always” an opportunity to be “offended!” Don’t take these opportunities; they “never” lead to anything positive. Learn to see the roses
in life; life is filled with roses, if you’ll take the time to see them.
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Constantly
Improve
“The way for a young man to rise is to improve
himself in every way he can…”
If you improve everyday,
imagine the improvements you could make over the course of 20 years. You could
become successful “in-just-about” any field in 20 years. You can make a significant
impact on the world in 20 years! Remember, slow and steady wins the race; Rome
was not built in a day. Work to get a little better everyday, and it time, you
will accomplish your dreams.
