Friday, November 28, 2008

"The Formula For Success"

The formula for success.

What about it?

What do you think it is?

I don't know.

How about "thinking big"?

Okay. Let’s look at “thinking big.”

Lorne Michaels is a tremendous success. As long as I’ve known him, which goes back to the sixties, Lorne Michaels was always “thinking big.” (I’m grateful for that. I have no capacity for “thinking big” myself. Announcing to people that I have plans, with no certainty of their ever coming to fruition, seems embarrassing to me, not to mention a dangerous tempting to the Fates. Fortunately, Lorne Michaels was a natural at ”thinking big”, and by including me in his plans, his “thinking big” lifted my career as well. The lesson here? If you can’t “think big” yourself, hang around with somebody who can.)

Logic Time: Lorne Michaels “thinks big.” Lorne Michaels is a tremendous success.
“Thinking big” makes you a tremendous success.

The formula for success? “Thinking Big.”

Correct?

Ehhhhhh…..(meaning, not so fast.)

There’s another guy who, for as a long as I’ve known him, has also had the capacity for “thinking big.” Big plans. Ambitious projects. Although his career has been steady, you could hardly claim, judging by his success level, that “thinking big” made him, in any way, big, because it didn’t.

Conclusion?

“Thinking big” does not guarantee you’ll be big.

(“Thinking small”, however, unless you hang around with someone who “thinks big”– seems to guarantee that you won’t.)

The formula for success?

We’ll have to keep looking. *


* There may not actually be one.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

That's just mean! I read this blog to find out the secret of becoming a successful tv writer and now you're telling me there isn't one? Okay, I also read it because it's entertaining, but I was hoping for a secret too. I still am hoping for the secret, but then I'm still hoping the tooth fairy will come along when I need dentures, so I like to hope.

Anonymous said...

This one is easy: talent, luck, determination, being in the right place at the right time, and the most important ingredient........
who you know!! :)

Anonymous said...

The formula depends on your definition of success.