Things to Think About 081

“Pepper, if you can’t take the blows, you should never take the bows.” Jimmy Dean

Many years ago I was travelling around the U.S. interviewing high-profile, successful leaders about the setbacks they’d experienced in life and how those setbacks affected them. One of the people I interviewed was the entertainer, entrepreneur, businessman, and cowboy philosopher, Jimmy Dean. I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with Jimmy in his office in Dallas, Texas. During our time together, Jimmy shared some wonderful insights about the setbacks, which were substantial, he had endured and how they ended up giving him a winning attitude.

What Jimmy was saying to me, in this quote, was, “Each time I get knocked down by something, I know that I’m just that much closer to winning, but I’ve got to stay in the game and I know I’ll get to the finish line.” And, to say he got across the finish line is quite an understatement. Google him and you’ll see the company he built and sold to the Sarah Lee Corporation, which made him one of the richest men in America.

Perspective—it’s a pretty neat thing, no?

Till next time…