Page 45 - How To Get Rich

become famous. But consider a sequoia tree that has been growing for
several hundred years. Just because a television crew one day decides to
do a story about that tree doesn’t mean it didn’t exist before.
In 1955, Glenn Gould, the classical pianist from Toronto, rocketed to

international fame by recording Bach’s Goldberg Variations. He was young
and unusual, but he had already been practicing the piano for close to
twenty years. He may have seemed like an overnight sensation to the
general public, but anyone who’s been working at something for twenty
years isn’t likely to agree with that assessment.
I have to admit that my knowledge of classical music is limited, but
from what little I’ve read on the subject, I know that the process of

becoming a classical musician is a long and demanding one. The amount
of practice hours required to master an instrument is astounding, and also
never ending. How do they do it? I’m not sure, but I would guess that
passion plays a large part.
Every industry and profession has its bottom line for what is required
to succeed. If you can’t stand to practice every day, being a musician is out

of the question. If you hate to exercise, being an athlete is not for you.
In business—every business—the bottom line is understanding the
process. If you don’t understand the process, you’ll never reap the rewards
of the process. You’ll never last long enough to achieve your overnight
success.
Part of the process is doing your homework. You have to know what
you’re getting into first. That was one of my father’s strongest beliefs.

We’ve all heard the phrase You’re barking up the wrong tree. It brings to
mind a funny image, but in reality it can be embarrassing. Not doing your
homework can result in something analogous, so do a few things first to
avoid this.
We can learn from our mistakes, but it’s better to learn from our

successes. When I hear people say, Well, it was aninteresting experience, I
can usually safely assume they are referring to something that didn’t work
out the way they’d planned. I don’t find my goof-ups to be amusing or
interesting.
Can you imagine hearing a surgeon say, Well, it didn’t go quite right,
but I sure learned a lot? I wouldn’t want that guy operating on me. The
same applies to anyone in business, because if you’re in business, it’s not
justyour money involved, but very often the money and well-being of