Here are 5 secrets revealed by Bill Gates that will help you focus on your goals.
1. Adding value to others is the true essence of wealth.
Most people see riches as the hallmark of success. While this notion varies from one individual to another, being philanthropic is a lifelong tradition for Bill Gates.
To the billionaire, reducing global suffering and helping others rise above the slums of poverty is the greatest service anyone could offer to the world.
In his own words,
“I’ve been very lucky, and therefore I owe it to try and reduce the inequity in the world. And that’s kind of a religious belief. I mean, it’s at least a moral belief.”
Bill Gates is the co-chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation which was launched in 2000. The foundation is said to be the largest transparently operated private foundation in the world which is aimed at enhancing healthcare, reduce extreme poverty and to expand educational opportunities.
As of 2013, Bill Gates had donated $28 billion to the foundation and had earlier announce to donate 95% of his wealth to charity. This is worthy of emulation.
2. Failure and mistakes are very valuable.
While most people only celebrate success and consider failure as a fatal, Bill Gates thinks otherwise. He once said,
“It’s fine to celebrate success, but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”
Consider the founding years of Microsoft and how tough it must have been for Bill as such situations are prevalent in the business sphere. Bill Gates must have encountered pressing situations and a few bumps along the way that could have made anyone quit.
These hellacious circumstances, disappointments and lots of mistakes mixed disappointments didn’t deter Bill Gates.
As the vast majority of great achievers would, he viewed failure and mistakes as an opportunity to learn something new and improve his expertise. You should too.
It doesn’t matter how much mistakes you’ve made or the number of setbacks you’ve encountered, persistence never goes unrepaid. Learn from your mistakes and pick yourself up afresh
3. Do not be distracted by success
Though the philanthropist has achieved a lot, he’s still very much at his game. He said,
“If I’d had some set idea of a finish line don’t you think I would have crossed it years ago?”
Bill Gates is no doubt considered as one of the greatest achievers in the world. The billionaire and philanthropist have been blessed to experience prodigious success most would only deem as a phantasm.
He has headed the largest PC software company in the world and held the top spot on the list of “The World’s Billionaires” for 18 out of the past 23 years! These and many of his numerous achievements place him at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Even with such record of success, Bill Gates doesn’t seem undeterred by his outstanding accomplishments.
After choosing to step down from the top executive seat at Microsoft, Gates is still very much in business as he is currently heading both Cascade Investment and Branded Entertainment Network.
Do not allow past success to make you lose your focus. Progress should be a continual process.
4. Time is more valuable than money.
Bill Gates understands the wisdom in properly prioritizing tasks that are more likely to yield the most productive results of time spent. Gates once said,
“No matter how much money you have, you can’t buy time.”
With many years of experience in the entrepreneurial niche, Bill Gates has mastered the art of prioritising and maintaining focus only on commitments that matter to him the most. He might not attend a meeting he doesn’t deem important, but would rather take the time to communicate with the people closest to him.
Time spent unwisely can never be gotten back. Therefore make it your utmost goal to enjoy the time you have by spending it on tasks/people that matter most to you.
5. Start immediately!
Do you have an idea, a dream or a vision? Then you shouldn’t waste time about it. Start as early as possible.
“if you don’t build your dreams, someone else will hire you to build theirs” – Bill Gates
Gates was only 13 when he started experimenting with computers. When you start something early enough, you immediately start developing your mastery on that subject.
Don’t wait for the right time as that usually rarely comes. The right time is now! Take that leap. Learn. Fail. Fail better!
From the lessons discussed in this article, it makes no difference if you are an employee, a single mother, student or a small business owner. We can take a point or two from these lessons.
While a vast populace of the world admires Bill Gates for achievement in business, a more admirable trait should be centred on his philanthropic attribute. It matters not how much lies in the bank account, you and I can make the world a little bit more endearing by helping someone who has less than us.
In your tiny way, affect the change you desire to see in the world
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