The Secret To Success

by John R. SedivycloseAuthor: John R. Sedivy Name: John R. Sedivy
Email: john@capecodbranding.com
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I had just finished reading “Always Looking Up” by Michael J. Fox and had walked away intrigued by his background. Prior to this book I had not really known much about the author’s background – mostly my impression of him was formed by his acting roles – mainly typecast as a successful Wall Street trader. One of the most intriguing facts that I had picked up from “Always Looking Up” was that Michael J. Fox did not have a college education, in fact he did not finish high school but later picked up a high school equivalency. This is hardly a sole occurrence of someone ditching formal education in lieu of real world experience and achieving stellar success. In this article I will explore the secret to success.

The Importance Of Persistence
The fact that Michael J. Fox does not possess higher education did not lessen my opinion of him – contrary, it elevated it. Here is a successful man by any measure – a successful young actor who grew into an even more successful adult actor with worldwide recognition. Later in life he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, but instead of giving up he had transformed himself into a bestselling author and a tireless advocate for Parkinson’s research. He has accomplished what is nearly impossible for most, maintaining and evolving at least two successful careers, all while maintaining a successful family life without tarnishing his image in the mainstream media – a difficult task in and of itself.

One of the key attributes that I had picked up on was Michael J. Fox’s persistence and “incurable optimism” – this undoubtedly fueled his continued ascent to success. The author was clearly an entrepreneur in every sense – at an early age he left home without money or formal education to pursue his dream, counter to societal advice. This is clearly someone who had marched to the beat of a different drum and it paid off – big time. In the past I had discussed the importance of passion and persistence – passion fuels persistence, if you love something you will persevere through the difficult times – this is an example of such a case. Michael J. Fox realized early in life that he had a passion for acting, this passion fueled his persistence even through the most difficult times which catapulted him to success.

Perception Versus Reality
In “Perception Vs. Reality” I had discussed the importance of managing others’ perception of you so it aligns to the reality that you would like to present to others.  “Always Looking Up” paints a picture of someone who has managed their perception to create a positive reality, on a grand scale. Consider this – the most successful roles that Michael J. Fox portrayed were that of someone persisting to overcome challenges to achieve success. Each role was generally of a successful, educated, clean-cut individual – Family Ties and Spin City come to mind, although there were others.

By accepting and successfully achieving these roles Michael J. Fox continued to fuel the perception of himself as this type of person and the general public accepted it without question. This should be encouraging for those with a dream. The message conveyed is that there is not strictly one path to success – but many. If you continue to persist towards a given path, you will be successful at it – without a doubt. Education is by no means a guarantee of future success, many factors come into play. Even traditional minded resources such as “What Color Is Your Parachute” by Richard Nelson Bolles confirm this.

This is not meant to devalue higher education. Formal education, especially at the higher levels does have it’s value, but it is not the be all and end all. Lack of  opportunity to achieve said education either as a result of the lack of financial means or aptitude should not serve as an excuse for not achieving success. There is a way for each to succeed in their own way given enough optimism, passion, and persistence. Manage your perception and align it to the reality you desire to portray to others – it is all in your hands. The only question is this – what do you want to be known for?

Incurable optimism, passion, and persistence will drive you to creating the reality of your dreams!

-John R. Sedivy of Cape Cod Branding

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