The moment you decide to go after
wealth, success, or anything you desire in life, that is when you
will start thinking about ways to accomplish it. ~Earl
Nightingale
Success is available to everyone who commits to being successful. ~Earl Nightingale
I used to teach fly-fishing for a living. Before that, I taught fly tying. In case you don't know what I mean, I am talking about taking fur and feathers and wrapping them around a fish-hook to make little imitations of insects to trick trout into biting. I became an expert fly-tyer and fly-fisherman and taught in a world-famous fly-fishing school in the Catskill Mountains, upstate New York. I taught clientele from all over the world. They paid lots of money to spend a few days with a handpicked group of instructors just to learn how to "match the hatch" and catch wild trout on a dry fly.
Most of my clients were doctors, lawyers, or big industrialists. Some were celebrity actors or musicians. They spent a few days with us on the best fly-fishing rivers in North America. We taught them about the insects, about the gear, how to cast, and talked "fly-fishing" over breakfast, lunch and dinner during their time with us.
I can't tell you how many times I had a client say to me: "I wish I had your job!"
Our students were a very wealthy bunch. Any one of them made a lot more money than me at the time, but, so many of them would rather do what I was doing. They'd love to have left the operating room, the court room, or the board room, and trade places with me. To them, I had a "dream job" and they envied me. I had the kind of job that most people would want, no, not fishing, per se, but a job doing what you love to do and making a decent living at it.
How did I land this job? Let's take a trip into the past. My high school senior year...
My older brother was getting married. My uncle, the big Philadelphia banker, was in town for the event. He said to me, "Michael, you will soon graduate and enter the working world. What do you want to do with your life?"
I told him I was going to work in the fly-fishing business. I would write articles on fly-fishing. I told him I would teach fly-fishing and fly tying. I said I was going to tie flies and build custom-made fly-rods. I was going to live my dream. My uncle, being the old-school banker, then asked, "Are you going to be a gigolo all your life?"
I started working toward my goal. I started a fly-fishing business tying flies. I sold to retailers. I barely broke even at first. Later, the business grew and I built a reputation. After some time, I was teaching fly tying and started meeting the "right people" in the business. Finally, I had an offer from Al Caucci, co-author of the book Hatches, and four other fly-fishing books. Al offered me a chance to work for him at the Caucci-Nastasi Fly-fishing School. I would also build rods and tie flies for the school. The offer was too good to resist.
(the above is an excerpt from my book, "Get Happy, Write Away")
At ten or twelve years old, I knew what I wanted to do. How I got there was a simple process.
First, I made it my life goal.
Second, I was determined to get as good as possible in the art of fly tying.
Success is available to everyone who commits to being successful. ~Earl Nightingale
I used to teach fly-fishing for a living. Before that, I taught fly tying. In case you don't know what I mean, I am talking about taking fur and feathers and wrapping them around a fish-hook to make little imitations of insects to trick trout into biting. I became an expert fly-tyer and fly-fisherman and taught in a world-famous fly-fishing school in the Catskill Mountains, upstate New York. I taught clientele from all over the world. They paid lots of money to spend a few days with a handpicked group of instructors just to learn how to "match the hatch" and catch wild trout on a dry fly.
Most of my clients were doctors, lawyers, or big industrialists. Some were celebrity actors or musicians. They spent a few days with us on the best fly-fishing rivers in North America. We taught them about the insects, about the gear, how to cast, and talked "fly-fishing" over breakfast, lunch and dinner during their time with us.
I can't tell you how many times I had a client say to me: "I wish I had your job!"
Our students were a very wealthy bunch. Any one of them made a lot more money than me at the time, but, so many of them would rather do what I was doing. They'd love to have left the operating room, the court room, or the board room, and trade places with me. To them, I had a "dream job" and they envied me. I had the kind of job that most people would want, no, not fishing, per se, but a job doing what you love to do and making a decent living at it.
How did I land this job? Let's take a trip into the past. My high school senior year...
My older brother was getting married. My uncle, the big Philadelphia banker, was in town for the event. He said to me, "Michael, you will soon graduate and enter the working world. What do you want to do with your life?"
I told him I was going to work in the fly-fishing business. I would write articles on fly-fishing. I told him I would teach fly-fishing and fly tying. I said I was going to tie flies and build custom-made fly-rods. I was going to live my dream. My uncle, being the old-school banker, then asked, "Are you going to be a gigolo all your life?"
I started working toward my goal. I started a fly-fishing business tying flies. I sold to retailers. I barely broke even at first. Later, the business grew and I built a reputation. After some time, I was teaching fly tying and started meeting the "right people" in the business. Finally, I had an offer from Al Caucci, co-author of the book Hatches, and four other fly-fishing books. Al offered me a chance to work for him at the Caucci-Nastasi Fly-fishing School. I would also build rods and tie flies for the school. The offer was too good to resist.
(the above is an excerpt from my book, "Get Happy, Write Away")
At ten or twelve years old, I knew what I wanted to do. How I got there was a simple process.
First, I made it my life goal.
Second, I was determined to get as good as possible in the art of fly tying.
Third, I worked my butt off and became
one of the best in the business.
Fourth, I NEVER GAVE UP.
At thirty-one years of age, my work was on exhibit in the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum and was sought by collectors and fishermen around the globe.
Fourth, I NEVER GAVE UP.
At thirty-one years of age, my work was on exhibit in the Catskill Fly Fishing Museum and was sought by collectors and fishermen around the globe.
When I officially announced that I was
leaving the fly fishing business, people who knew me for decades were
shocked. I was in my fifties at that point, but, I have other
goals.
LIFE IS ABOUT GROWTH...
Life is about growing and learning new things. Life is the journey, not the destination. I have accomplished all I can in the fly fishing world.
Earl Nightingale once said that it is important to make goals. When you have succeeded in one goal, to continue growing you need another, and another, and another. It is an ongoing process.
I have lots of goals remaining, but, my list of successes is too long to write here-- and why bother.
The day is young. Have you set any goals for your day? your week? your month? or the rest of your life? Go ahead... You're burnin' daylight...
LIFE IS ABOUT GROWTH...
Life is about growing and learning new things. Life is the journey, not the destination. I have accomplished all I can in the fly fishing world.
Earl Nightingale once said that it is important to make goals. When you have succeeded in one goal, to continue growing you need another, and another, and another. It is an ongoing process.
I have lots of goals remaining, but, my list of successes is too long to write here-- and why bother.
The day is young. Have you set any goals for your day? your week? your month? or the rest of your life? Go ahead... You're burnin' daylight...
