Decker,
In your life, you will have to bet on things, and on ideas, and on people. Business partners, concepts, friends, employers, employees, mentors, vendors, suppliers, websites, and even your spouse all require a wager; a bet. Always bet on winners.
This is, of course, easier said than done. You won’t always know. How can you know that a concept is the best one to pursue for your first company or your senior thesis? How do you know which friend will be there for you in your time of need? How do you know which mentor will give the most of his or her time and advice? How do you know which supplier will be on time, almost all the time? You have to look for the clues.
- A Track Record (always a good clue)
- Passion (one of the most underrated attributes in life)
- Body Language (it unlocks what’s hiding beneath)
- Heart (it’s kind of another way of saying passion, which can’t be understated)
- Kindness (the nice guy or girl doesn’t always win, but he or she often wins at what matters)
- Attitude (when shit gets hard, as it will, staying positive and staying the course become vital; anyone can look good on the sunniest of days)
- Creativity (it so often goes hand in hand with the ability to get something done)
Depending on the situation, intelligence, appearance, or resources might be relevant. However, they don’t top my list. Often, it’s these subtleties that throw us off course. Knowing how to bet on winners is a real life skill. Study your decisions about what and who you backed. What won? What lost? Why? What might you have done differently? Don’t just study your decisions, study those of others. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
Sometimes, you won’t have a choice about who or what to bet on. This phenomenon doesn’t occur often, or at least it doesn’t occur for a long period oftime, often. But when it occurs, it matters. If you don’t have a choice about what or who to bet on, do your best. For instance, you may be stuck in a small group project and not have a choice about your teammates. Do your best. You might enter into a joint venture with another company and they may be getting the better end of the deal and there might be six more months on the contract. Stick it out. Then renegotiate. You might hate the movie your spouse has chosen. Deal with it. Or go to sleep.
Sometimes, you won’t have a choice about who to bet on. God puts things and people in our lives that we have to bet on. These are the really important things and people. Give em everything you’ve got.
You’re about to have a little brother. It’s God who will put him in your life. We’re all gonna bet on him just like Mom and I bet on you. We all bet on each other. That’s family.
More often than not, you’ll have choices. Never stop learning how to bet on winners.
Love,
Dad