Personal Development

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Personal Development | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

If you’ve ever felt like you’ll get caught out at your job for being incompetent, you’re not alone. According to a <a href="https://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01445/full" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Salzburg</a>, 70 percent of participants reported feeling like frauds at work.

Researchers concluded that <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/i-know-what-the-imposter-syndrome-feels-like-and-it-hurts-like-mad-when-youre-alone">by undervaluing ourselves</a>, we could be unwittingly sabotaging our own careers, as well as undermining our employers. So here are eight ways to fake it till you make it.
Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/fake-it-and-5-other-ways-to-conquer-self-doubt">Fake It and 5 Other Ways to Conquer Self-Doubt</a>

<h2>1. Remember your wins.</h2>
Peter Shankman, CEO of <a href="https://www.shankminds.com/">Shankminds Business Masterminds</a>, boosts his spirits by replaying successful results from previous gigs. “Sometimes I’ll play a video of an older speech I gave and listen to the audience,” he says. “They’re laughing—really laughing. It puts me in the mindset to know that if I rocked that speech, there’s no reason I can’t do it again.”
<h2>2. Sweat it out.</h2>
When he starts feeling down on himself, Shankman wakes up early and <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/why-exercise-makes-us-happy">boosts endorphins at the gym</a> by lifting or doing cardio. “That right there gives me the chemical boost to say, ‘OK, let’s do this.’” He says this is the same reason why he sometimes exercises right before heading into a big meeting or presentation.
<h2>3. Surround yourself with people who believe in you.</h2>
For Joyce Maroney, director at the <a href="https://www.workforceinstitute.org/about-workforce-institute/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Workforce Institute at Kronos</a>, that meant leaving a comfortable job at IBM several years ago to join a startup—something she had never done before. “The CEO who recruited me, for whom I’d worked in the past, told me she was confident I could do it. Having that reassurance from her was very helpful, and I’m very fortunate to have a CEO again today who believes in these same values.”
<h2>4. Talk it out.</h2>
When speaker Mike Veny was hired to deliver his first keynote at a state conference, he felt overwhelmed seeing his face on posters and in program handouts. He relies on close friends to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/3-tips-for-being-a-good-sounding-board">serve as sounding boards</a> when anxiety kicks in. “In my experience, self-doubt is normal and part of the process,” he says. “It keeps you humble and hungry to get better at what you do.”
<h2>5. See the big picture.</h2>
When second-guesses emerge, Veny focuses on why he does what he does—which is to bring awareness to mental health. “My mission in life is to empower people to connect,” he says. “I am <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-5-ways-to-be-more-grateful-on-the-daily">grateful for opportunities</a> that keep coming my way to do that.”
<h2>6. Validate other people.</h2>
When Derek Doepker, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Why-Youre-Stuck-Finding-Challenges/dp/1492751219/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1490300360&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Why+You%E2%80%99re+Stuck&amp;linkCode=ll1&amp;tag=sm0fe-20&amp;linkId=c142aa69f5589c384608039243bacd80" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why You’re Stuck</a>, began his authorship journey, he felt like an impostor, asking himself things like, Who am I to write a book and why would anyone listen to me? His advice now, after having done it, is to identify a role model. He discovered authors, podcasters and bloggers who resonated with him. “Go tell them the difference they’ve made for you. In giving a sincere compliment and validating their worth, you may just find your own worth is validated in the process.”
<h2>7. Do what you love.</h2>
Oftentimes, when we <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/4-tips-for-leaving-your-comfort-zone">get outside our comfort zone</a>, we’re nervous about the new, the unfamiliar. That’s why Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., president of the Hendricks Institute, recommends focusing activities on your “Zone of Genius.” In his book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Big-Leap-Conquer-Hidden-Level/dp/0061735361/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1490300756&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=The+Big+Leap,&amp;linkCode=ll1&amp;tag=sm0fe-20&amp;linkId=a7430061e2686671daf4ddab17b3dc16" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Big Leap,</a> he explains, “The things you most love to do reflect your unique abilities. When you are doing what you are really meant to be doing, you don’t generate self-doubt.”
<h2>8. Never let ’em see you sweat.</h2>
Joyce Maroney learned to mask her anxiety because all eyes were on her to create a vision and build the right team. She consciously controlled her demeanor so people would perceive her as having the situation under control. As she learned more, her confidence started soaring, and so did her control. “When I <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/8-ways-to-be-a-more-confident-person">exhibit confidence</a> and composure, it always makes a situation better,” she says. “I take deep breaths, step away from a situation and take a few minutes to reset my composure. I remind myself that this too shall pass.”
Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/how-to-gain-confidence-and-become-the-greatest">How to Gain Confidence and Become the Greatest</a>

Power through these strategies until your self-doubt is gone.

Power through these strategies until your self-doubt is gone. | SUCCESS

8 Ways to Fake It Till You Make It

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8 Ways to Fake It Till You Make It | SUCCESS

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Vicki Salemi is a career expert, columnist, author of Big Career in the Big City, speaker and frequent on-air guest. She resides in New York City and is a huge fan of the Yankees, cardio tap (yes, as in dancing) and cardio tennis. &nbsp;

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Vicki Salemi

James Adams wrote the book on rebounding from failure—literally. The author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Waffle-Street-Confession-Rehabilitation-Financier/dp/1459665392/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1464201200&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=waffle+street+book" target="_blank">Waffle Street: The Confession and Rehabilitation of a Financier</a> learned to stay grounded after navigating a career dotted with setbacks, including a stint working the graveyard shift.

Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/5-ways-to-reframe-failure">5 Ways to Reframe Failure</a>

He began as vice president of a product management group in North Carolina. But then, like countless Americans during the recession, Adams lost his job in January 2009. He went from handling $33 billion in assets to working the night shift at Waffle House, earning $2.13 an hour, on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m.

<img alt="From Wall Street to Waffle House: 6 Ways to Rebound From Failure" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__32844 img__view_mode__default" src="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/sites/default/files/fromwallstreettowafflehouse_waystoreboundfromfailure.jpg" style="width: 50%;" typeof="foaf:Image" /> 
COURTESY OF JAMES ADAMS

“It was kind of traumatic to wait on those drunks every weekend,” Adams recalls. “I needed a day or two to recover and not in the sense of just being fatigued.”

Six months later, he quit to pen Waffle Street, a book turned <a href="https://www.wafflestreetmovie.com/" target="_blank">movie</a> starring Danny Glover.

But his story doesn’t end there. He tried careers in everything from investments to risk management software—while also preparing for the birth of his first son in 2011. Finally in 2012, he <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/6-essential-habits-for-getting-the-career-you-want">landed a career</a> as a senior research analyst, only after reaching out to 1,200 family and friends via an honest and vulnerable Christmas letter.

“It was a rough road from 2009 through 2012. It ended up taking a lot longer than I would have imagined,” says 35-year-old Adams, who lives with his wife and two sons in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Although the book and movie highlight his blue-collar journey, Adams’ bounce-back lessons transcend beyond waiting tables.

<h2>1. Don’t get attached. </h2>

Adams’ life from 2009 to 2012 indelibly transformed him. His newfound skepticism allowed him to realize that everything is ephemeral, including your career and your health.

“I accept ‘in the moment’ as being good and a source of contentment, but I realize that it’s not always going to be there. I think it’s the same way with bad things; they’ll come and go.”

Even success, Adams says, could be short-lived: “You see that in the entertainment industry. One day you’re on this big show or you’re out of work for two years…. I don’t get bitter about the downdrafts or exuberant about the windfalls.”

<h2>2. Divorce your ego from your career.</h2>

Adams grew up <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/10-lessons-we-learned-from-our-dads">wanting to be like his dad</a>, a company man, “the hot shot businessman, very much that alpha male.”

Separating Adams’ self-worth from his career was eye-opening.

“That took a long time and now that things have turned and I’ve got a great situation with another script I’ve co-written, it’s just humbling. You realize so much of what happens is a function of luck and serendipity, whether it’s working for or against you. I had some very, very dark moments.”

<h2>3. Rely on a support system.</h2>

Adams’ wife and mother played pivotal roles, as did church friends. “Just having <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/why-you-need-positive-people-in-your-life">a community of folks that were supportive</a> of the writing was helpful,” he says.

He had to realize he wasn’t an island and he couldn’t control everything. “You learn to let that go, but when you get to a sense of uselessness that you’re no longer needed, that’s real hard. I give my faith a lot of credit for buttressing me in that regard.”

<h2>4. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/6-quick-tips-for-an-insanely-productive-day">Stay productive.</a></h2>

“It was a matter not so much of income, but of being productive one way or another that’s so important psychologically. Rigorous exercise certainly helps.”

Adams teaches classes two days a week at a jujitsu school and helps guys train, serving as a corner man during fights. Training fighters for cage matches gives him a sense of purpose. “If I can help him protect himself when someone is trying to punch his head off, there’s something useful in that.”

<h2>5. Ditch the pity party. </h2>

His first wake-up call came in the lobby of the state employment office when he noticed other claimants were accompanied by small children. Adams didn't have kids yet at the time and thought how having little mouths to feed must considerably change how someone perceives a job loss.

"While my biggest concerns were a <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/why-you-need-to-feed-your-soul-not-your-ego">bruised ego</a> and stock market losses, these people were worried about putting food on the table."

<h2>6. Learn to trust again.</h2>

It took Adams three years to feel secure in a career again. “I was so worried the rug was going to get pulled from under my feet again,” he says. “I couldn’t let myself believe that the company wasn’t going to go down. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/3-tips-for-overcoming-your-worried-brain">I got really paranoid</a>. If the only thing I know about horses is they throw me, I’m going to be very reticent to get back on one.”

It starts with one step at a time, one day at a time.

If there was one thing he learned from his journey, Adams says it’s reassessing the important things in life: “Your health and your wealth can prove a little bit more fleeting than we tend to appreciate.”

Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-5-ways-to-be-more-grateful-on-the-daily">5 Ways to Be More Grateful on the Daily</a>

Don’t get bitter about the downdrafts, or exuberant about the windfalls.

Don’t get bitter about the downdrafts, or exuberant about the windfalls. | SUCCESS

From Wall Street to Waffle House: 6 Ways to Rebound From Failure

From Wall Street to Waffle House: 6 Ways to Rebound From Failure | SUCCESS

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“I’m an adrenaline person,” says Alana Nichols, who’s training to compete in sprint kayaking at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics this September. Nichols already is the first American woman to win gold medals in both the summer and winter games (in wheelchair basketball and alpine ski racing, respectively). In doing so, she has triumphed over competing athletes as well as the despair of a paralyzing injury as a teenager. “I picked up my life and started over,” Nichols says.

Even as a kid, she was always up for a challenge. She participated in organized sports while growing up in New Mexico and set her sights on receiving a softball scholarship for college and also competing in that sport at the Olympics.

A fateful day in November 2000 changed all that. The 17-year-old high school senior attempted a snowboard backflip and “landed on a rock that was underneath the snow. I did that backflip as hard as I&nbsp;could and basically over-rotated it. I broke my back in three places and was paralyzed upon impact.”

She had to relearn everything, from getting out of bed to dressing herself. “It was a terrible, hard time. When I was lying in the hospital bed, I couldn’t imagine being happy again… being able to feel like an athlete again and like somebody who had a reason to live.”

Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/17-quotes-to-help-you-find-your-happiness">17 Quotes to Help You Find Your Happiness</a>

But one day at the University of New Mexico gym, she discovered that reason. Catching a glimpse of a wheelchair basketball team, she became intrigued by the players’ athleticism and aggressiveness. “It planted the seed of hope in my heart that I could be an athlete again.”

<img alt="Why a Paralympian is Going for Gold... Again" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__32699 img__view_mode__default" src="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/sites/default/files/goingforgoldagain_3.jpg" style="width: 50%; margin: 4px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image" />

Nichols says the crucial first step was <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-how-do-you-attract-opportunity-into-your-life">seeing opportunity</a>. “The second was that I started being open to women’s basketball and the possibilities of playing and being happy in life, and all the doors started flying open.” One door led her to transfer and play basketball on an athletic scholarship at the University of Arizona.

She polished her dribbling, passing, shooting and defense, making the team in 2003. That same year she went to Paralympic tryouts in Pennsylvania. There Nichols (an alternate to the 2004 U.S. team) met someone who would become a <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/10-ways-to-find-your-ideal-mentor">role model</a> and her best friend: Patty Cisneros Prevo, who had broken her back in a car crash five years before Nichols’ injury. “I was blown away by how Patty had embraced herself and how excited she was to be alive, getting her master’s degree in teaching and traveling the world as a basketball athlete.”

Following Cisneros Prevo’s example, Nichols <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/if-you-want-to-change-your-results-you-have-to-change-your-thinking-first">shifted her mindset</a> from insecurities about her physical abilities to a laser focus on what she still possessed. “I had my arms, which were working, and my knowledge of the game. There were opportunities in front of me to play basketball at a Paralympic level. Patty was a huge inspiration.”

Cisneros Prevo, a two-time gold medalist (at the 2004 Paralympic games in Athens and 2008 games in Beijing), says Nichols’ athleticism and grit were the keys to her turnaround. “She is an incredibly strong person. From a young age, she developed perseverance and strength. When you’re faced with a tragic event, ultimately the person you are will shine through,” Cisneros Prevo says. “She is fearless, humble and positive.”

Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/mission-impossible">Mission Impossible</a>

After Nichols received her bachelor’s degree in education from Arizona, she moved halfway across the country to earn a master’s degree in kinesiology from the University of Alabama. She played wheelchair basketball on the Crimson Tide women’s team.

In 2008 Nichols competed at the Beijing Summer Paralympic Games. She won a gold medal in “a perfect season, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/how-far-can-your-dreams-take-you">a dream come true</a> after five years of training.”

Up for a new challenge later in 2008, she relocated to the Rocky Mountains to pursue alpine ski racing. With that came lots of bumps and bruises. But again her <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/success-takes-time-and-hard-work-follow-these-5-steps-to-stick-with-it-to-the-end">hard work</a> was rewarded: After winning races leading up to the Vancouver Winter Paralympic Games in 2010, Nichols had accomplished the necessary steps to make the U.S. Paralympic ski team.

Then tragedy struck: Her older brother D.J., who had always encouraged her athletic pursuits, was murdered. “I was so beside myself that I just didn’t want to do anything,” she says. Nichols forced herself to train every day on the mountain. At one point, she crashed three consecutive times because her goggles, “sopping-wet with tears,” impaired her vision.

Nichols ultimately skied in her brother’s honor, knowing that he would have cheered her as he always had before. “I felt like he was an angel and was there for me. I couldn’t lose! I didn’t win all the golds [she won two, plus a silver and bronze], but I couldn’t have done any better.”

Nichols says that after she won her first gold with the basketball team, she felt a sense of relief after anticipation, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/quick-tips-for-coping-with-anxiety">anxiety</a> and desire for five years. But striking gold the second time? “It was about my brother, and it was like he was there—so spiritual. To win and see your name at the top of that scoreboard hits you like a ton of bricks, then you’re in shock, then you try to process it, and it’s all on camera. Tears.”

After living in Colorado’s consistent cold and an elevation of 10,000 feet for seven years, Nichols moved to warm, sea-level San Diego to start from scratch in conquering sprint kayaking.

Per her usual preparation regimen, Nichols simultaneously sets micro and larger goals, seeing the big picture and building from the bottom up. “I need weekly <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-4-tips-for-setting-powerful-goals">goals to stay on track</a>, and I need to have that long-term gold medal in the back of my mind.” Cisneros Prevo says her friend strategically paves the path to every goal, putting “everything in place so she can achieve it…. She surrounds herself with people and places and things to be the best that she can.”

<img alt="Why a Paralympian is Going for Gold... Again" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__32702 img__view_mode__default" src="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/sites/default/files/goingforgoldagain_2_1.jpg" style="width: 100%;" typeof="foaf:Image" />

Nichols does weight training in addition to three hours of kayaking a day to master the 50-second, 200-meter sprint. “It’s a lot of explosive workout stuff,” says Nichols, who also squeezes in time for personal appearances and speeches in exchange for financial support from her sponsors.

<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/top-of-mind-6-ways-to-keep-your-mind-and-body-fresh">Mental preparation</a> is as important as physical. For instance, to calm and control her emotions, she does deep breathing. Visualization and goal-setting are other vital components. “Before the start of a race, I physically see myself in my mind practicing all my techniques and winning the race.”

What’s next? After Rio, Nichols hopes to write a book as well as assist in research about spinal cord injuries and cures. “It’s fun to think about walking. I hope I can be part of a human trial.”

Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/what-happy-successful-optimistic-people-know-about-life">What Happy, Successful, Optimistic People Know About Life</a>

&nbsp;

This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://store.successcom.wpenginepowered.com/by-media/magazines/success-magazine-june-2016-guy-fieri.html" target="_blank">June 2016 issue of SUCCESS magazine</a>.
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Alana Nichols shifted her mindset from insecurities about her physical abilities to a laser focus on what she still possessed.

Alana Nichols shifted her mindset from insecurities about her physical abilities to a laser focus on what she still possessed. | SUCCESS

This Paralympic Champion Is Going for Gold... Again

This Paralympic Champion Is Going for Gold&#8230; Again

This Paralympic Champion Is Going for Gold... Again | SUCCESS

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Business &amp; Branding

Business &amp; Branding Archives

Stay ahead in business: strategies and insights for success

Jeff Probst has an electrifying energy, a passion for life and an intellectual mind, working to understand the human condition.

And, of course, the drive of an <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/50-greatest-entrepreneurs-of-all-time">entrepreneur</a> who walked away from corporate life, who turned down more than nine job offers with faith that the right gig for him was still en route.

“I’ve always wanted to be a storyteller,” says the Emmy Award-winning host of Survivor during the New York City premiere for the 32nd season—Survivor: Kaôh Rōng. “My first job was at the Boeing airplane company, they had a motion picture department. I started learning as a production assistant, then as a writer, then as a producer; then I hosted one of my own shows and I realized that’s the person delivering the message. That’s why I got in front of the camera—so that I could be the last voice in authoring it.”

That involved <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/afraid-of-risks-how-to-be-bolder">risk-taking</a>. When he worked for Boeing for two years, the now executive producer and filmmaker realized he wasn’t good with rules. So he left corporate. “I remember my friends saying, ‘The good news is they really like you, you can always come back.’ And I said, ‘I’m never coming back.’”

Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/afraid-of-risks-how-to-be-bolder">Afraid of Risks? How to Be Bolder</a>

After walking away from “a lot of money” in that job, Probst hasn’t looked back since. Even when he wasn’t working, he said, “I’m not going backwards if I can’t get what I want.”

“I’ve been lucky in that I’ve had success, but I still would have made the same decisions…. I’m not a corporate America guy. I thrive with autonomy. Give me a little trust and I’ll work three times as hard to deliver and make you happy. Put me in a box and I shrivel up.”

Those decisions meant turning down nine consecutive potential jobs within 18 months. After TV gigs at FX and Access Hollywood, he mentions, “They were super nice guys but I just didn’t like where my career was heading.”

Convinced he wasn’t meant to be that guy reading a teleprompter on a dating show introducing couples, his agent agreed he wasn’t crazy for turning down work. Instead, he told Probst, “Just wait—it’ll come.”

It was while driving on the freeway in Los Angeles that Probst heard TV producer Mark Burnett on the radio explaining the premise of Survivor. “I pulled over,” he recalls, “and got on a pay phone and called my agent and said there’s this show, Survivor. I’ve got to meet on it.”

At the end of a two-hour meeting with Burnett, Probst had all of five minutes to actually <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/mobile/blog/6-tips-to-be-a-more-confident-speaker">speak up</a> for himself. “I said, ‘Listen, forget all of the anecdotes I was going to tell you. I’m a writer. I’m a student of the human condition, I’ve been in therapy, I get your show.’ And he said, ‘Very nice to meet you, thank you for coming in.’ I felt—what?!”

That’s it? What just happened? Probst was certain he was the right guy for the role.

He didn’t hear from anybody for months, so he took an interesting approach. He wrote a series of fake articles by different reporters who all talked about how successful the show had become, like how Survivor set a summer season viewing record. “All of these things that ultimately, weirdly came true! I put it in a bottle and I sent it to CBS like it had been washed upon a shore—and didn’t hear anything back.”

“I thought, I guess I was wrong.”

Four months later, his agent called. “I walked into CBS… and I got Survivor.” And the rest, as they say, is history.

<img alt="Jeff Probst’s Guide to Surviving the Entrepreneurial Jungle" class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__31992 img__view_mode__default" src="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/wp-content/uploads/legacy/sites/default/files/jeff_probst_survivor.jpg" style="width: 75%;" title="Jeff Probst’s Guide to Surviving the Entrepreneurial Jungle" typeof="foaf:Image" />

Do you have the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/7-entrepreneurial-traits-to-teach-your-child">entrepreneurial spirit</a> to outwit and outlast the competition? Jeff Probst knows what it takes for that part of you to survive. Here, he shares his lessons, from the show and from his own experience, for not just surviving, but thriving in the entrepreneurial jungle:

<h2>1. Follow where you put your energy.</h2>

“Follow where you actually put your effort—not your dream. If it’s a dream and that’s all it is, that’s all that’s going to remain.”

Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/john-c-maxwell-5-reasons-why-dreams-dont-take-flight">John C. Maxwell: 5 Reasons Why Dreams Don’t Take Flight</a>

If you really want to be a long distance runner, run every day working toward your goal. If you want to write a novel, write persistently every morning.

“What we tell our kids is, ‘Pay attention to what interests you, explore it and if you become good at it, the money will come,” Probst says. He didn’t want to get stuck—so he patiently pursued his passion, and he pursued it wholeheartedly.

<h2>2. Go all in.</h2>

“I watch <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/the-shark-tank-guide-to-surviving-the-treacherous-waters-of-entrepreneurship">Shark Tank</a> a lot. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/mark-cuban-is-looking-to-write-the-book-on-entrepreneurship-literally">Mark Cuban</a> always asks the same kinds of questions every week: ‘How many hours a week are you putting into your business?’ And when somebody says, ‘Well right now it’s kind of part-time,’ he says, ‘I’m out.’”

Cuban looks for somebody who cares about nothing else but their <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/5-questions-to-help-turn-your-passion-into-profit">passion project</a>. “That’s the way I feel about my professional life,” Probst says. “I’m really only interested in storytelling, so I’m either writing a story of Stranded (his children’s book series) or a script, or I’m editing Survivor or I’m making Survivor—but I’m not interested in a lot of other things.”

<h2>3. Build alliances.&nbsp; </h2>

Pointing out contestant Richard Hatch from the first season—he understood moving forward intuitively by forming a group, Probst recalls. “We didn’t get that. When he said, ‘I’m forming an alliance,’ we thought, ‘What is an alliance and what is he talking about?’ Probst mentions that lightbulb moment of realizing OK, he’s saying as a group we can all move further in the game together.

“But what he didn’t tell anybody is, ‘I’m not going to tell you when our agreement is over, but I’m going to cut you before you know it—therefore, I’ll be the last one standing.’ It was a brilliant display of what Survivor was meant to become.”

But there’s some life truth in there, too, that when you find the right <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/how-to-create-strategic-partnerships">partners in business</a> and the right group to work together, you can <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/10-steps-to-achieve-any-goal">reach your goal faster</a>.

<h2>4. Fail, learn, tweak. And play again to win. </h2>

“Take a look at John Cochran. He’s a Harvard grad heading to law school—nerdy, skin so white it’s translucent, sunburns instantly. Plays Survivor, thinks he knows the game up and down, wrote a college thesis paper on it and gets voted out early. Instead of crumbling, he looked at the experience and thought, How do I turn all of those liabilities into assets? He said, ‘Can I play again?’”

Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/5-ways-to-reframe-failure">5 Ways to Reframe Failure</a>

Not only did he come back, he won and became one of the most popular winners of all-time. “His failure led to all this knowledge. That knowledge unlocked door to him winning,” Probst says. Instead of looking at his failure as a setback, Cochran looked at 13 episodes as information as to where he went wrong.

He tweaked his performances, turning negative into positives. “He was the best version of himself. He’s the same guy who played the first time but presented himself differently. He was able to see how people saw him.”

<h2>5. Think bigger—and go for it.</h2>

“All of us are capable of much more than we believe we are. Most of us are as good as we think we are, we’re just often afraid to test it.”

A lot of contestants finish the experience and think, Wow, I’m better than thought, or I’m as good as I hoped I was. “You only get that by going out into the world and saying, ‘I’m going for it. I’m going to start my own company, I’m going to leave this job, I’m going to go get my master’s degree,’ whatever your thing is. The only way you find out if you’re as good as you think you are is to go find out.”

Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-4-tips-for-setting-powerful-goals">Rohn: 4 Tips for Setting Powerful Goals</a>

Survivor: Kaôh Rōng premieres Feb. 17 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

The host of Survivor says: ‘The only way you find out if you’re as good as you think you are is to go find out.’

The host of Survivor says: ‘The only way you find out if you’re as good as you think you are is to go find out.’ | SUCCESS

Jeff Probst’s Guide to Surviving the Entrepreneurial Jungle

Jeff Probst’s Guide to Surviving the Entrepreneurial Jungle | SUCCESS

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colleagues collaborating in a good company culture

Dan Ratner and Jason Kunesh set out to make positive change in the world. Moreover, they set out to revolutionize philanthropy—and their online donation platform and social network, Public Good, is helping them do it.



Public Good is something like a central home base for charities helping nonprofits meet new donors and volunteers, as well as raise more money and awareness by making online fundraising easy and accessible.



How? By being there when people are <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-give-back-purposefully/">motivated to do good</a>. Say you read a moving news story on Facebook but you don’t want to “like” the problem or “share” the negativity. Instead, Public Good’s “<a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/introducing-public-good-the-new-face-of-fundraising-300136366.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Take Action</a>” button directs you to their website to learn more about organizations working to solve the problem, plus how to donate to or <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/the-personal-and-professional-benefits-of-volunteering/">take action for</a> the organization.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-principles-of-public-good-s-company-culture">Principles of Public Good's company culture</h2>



Public Good is on a mission to make a positive social impact. They’re doing it guided by eight principles, all characteristics that are embodied in their company culture:



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-1-set-clear-measurable-goals">1. Set clear, measurable goals.</h3>



“You want to make sure whatever you’re working on is really having an impact,” Kunesh says. “When we do anything, whether it’s crafting a feature or any outreach that we’re doing, we always ask ourselves, ‘How do we know if this is successful?’”



Everybody will form a first opinion of your company, and you want to make sure that impression is the right, factual one.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-2-public-good-measures-success-based-on-what-matters">2. Public Good measures success based on what matters.</h3>



Public Good’s goal is for people to take action, to engage with organizations. “Take <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/the-solopreneurs-guide-to-email-marketing/">an email campaign</a>,” Ratner says. “You’ve got two different emails you’re sending to a group—one that gets people’s attention and they say, ‘Wow, the open rate was huge, that was a great email, we should send more like that.’” But was it effective if people looked at it because it was controversial but didn’t actually do anything after they read it? You’re looking for results, not just views, so consider how many people actually made a contribution.



“The one that was more boring might have been more successful. You’ve got to be measuring the thing you actually care about,” Ratner continues.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-3-be-helpful">3. Be helpful.&nbsp;</h3>



Instead of thinking of clients as customers, Public Good thinks of them as partners—that their success is Public Good’s success, too.



“We see somebody who’s an expert at their subject area, whether it’s providing bikes to families in Africa or helping children on the south side of Chicago or whatever the case,” Kunesh says, “but when it comes to engaging this new generation of donors online, they don’t have those skills and they don’t have time to read up on them.” And that’s where Public Good steps in to help solve both pieces of the puzzle.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-4-everyone-at-public-good-is-responsible-for-providing-a-great-user-experience">4. Everyone at Public Good is responsible for providing a great user experience.</h3>



“Good ideas don’t start or end with Dan or myself,” Kunesh says. “It’s our job to make sure the ideas and issues our team hears from our partners are being acted upon.”



Take Public Good’s events for nonprofit partners. Planning happy hours is fun, and everybody always has an opinion about the food, the music, the venue—and they all take part.



While empowerment is important, Ratner adds that at the end of the day, decisions must be made to keep moving forward—they have to provide leadership. “At some point, it’s like, you know what? It’s just one event and we’ve got a lot of work to do…. We’re going to move on,” he says.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-5-be-transparent">5. Be transparent.&nbsp;</h3>



In order to make sure their clients feel heard, Public Good strives to make sure everyone knows what was going on in the organizations they work with by “fleshing that out so people don’t feel like they’re operating in the dark.”



Technology may feel like a scary unknown that is “over promised and under delivered,” Kunesh says. That's why they’re transparent with organizations they work with so they understand what they’re doing and how they’re doing it.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-6-public-good-only-does-what-it-can-do-well">6. Public Good only does what it can do well.</h3>



“At a startup you don’t really have a lot of resources,” Kunesh says. “You have to be laser-focused on where you spend them so the impact you have is magnified.”



This means sticking to <a href="https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/15792-business-core-competencies.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">core competencies</a>: For example, Apple doesn’t manufacture their own devices even though they have financial resources.



“The more you specialize, the more you realize the depth of the problem your customers are facing. And the deeper you’re going, the more you can really provide value. I think tight, laser focus is a differentiator,” notes Ratner.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-7-respect-our-users">7. Respect our users.</h3>



The co-founders emphasize the importance of building a product that’s user-friendly. That's why there aren’t any ads on their site and they don’t sell user data.



When people switch from platforms they’ve been using to Public Good’s software, Ratner says, “they’ve gone from something where they had to attend regular annual training days at other places to teaching themselves our stuff in 15 minutes to accomplish the same work.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-8-be-happy">8. Be happy.</h3>



“The more we help people connect with organizations and form lasting relationships with them, the more we believe they’ll be happy,” Kunesh says.



Ratner points out behavioral studies show a recurring theme: “Two things that always make the top of the list of things that make people happy are connection and <a href="https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/wanting_to_help_others_could_make_you_happier_at_work" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">giving to others</a>. We try to provide both of those things.”



Tenets of company culture like these, the co-founders say, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/6-ways-leaders-can-make-a-positive-impact-in-the-workplace/">are extremely beneficial</a> and ultimately keep an organization on track. “At any moment, you can get lost in the fray,” Kunesh says. Principles help drive decisions. “You can say, ‘Is this in line with why we started this?’ and if your answer’s no, that’s a reason to take a moment and reflect on it.”



This article was updated June 2023. Photo by adriaticfoto/Shutterstock

Public Good, a cause-focused digital marketing company, shares the principles of their company culture that guides operations.

Public Good, a cause-focused digital marketing company, shares the principles of their company culture that guides operations. | SUCCESS

Public Good's 8 Tenets of Good Company Culture

Public Good&#8217;s 8 Tenets of Good Company Culture

Public Good Shares Their Tenets of Company Culture | SUCCESS

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There's no doubt Randi Zuckerberg wears several hats. The former Facebook marketing exec is founder and CEO of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.zuckerbergmedia.com/about/" target="_blank">Zuckerberg Media</a>, a boutique marketing firm and production company;&nbsp;New York Times&nbsp;best-selling author; editor in chief of digital lifestyle site Dot Complicated; and mom to two. She's also a singer and Broadway actress, and coming soon to Oxygen network, an investor on the Shark Tank-style show Time to Quit Your Day Job.When&nbsp;SUCCESS&nbsp;caught up with Randi, 33, the multitasking executive was immersed in a project that had her commuting from San Francisco to Los Angeles. It seems she often needs to be two places at once."There's no way when you're doing this you can be&nbsp;all in&nbsp;at work and&nbsp;all in&nbsp;on your family," says Zuckerberg, who's working with <a href="https://fairfieldhotels.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Fairfield Inn &amp; Suites' National Amazing Month campaign</a>, recognizing people that help us maintain balance. Zuckerberg says in her case, that person is her husband, tech executive Brent Tworetzsky. "I feel really lucky I have my husband stepping in during this time. He's Super Dad."Zuckerberg's work-life balance motto?&nbsp;Take the pressure off to do everything well every single day.&nbsp;"If it balances out in the long run, it's OK if some days I'm really focused on my job and other days I'm really focused on my family."So when Zuckerberg returns home to northern California on weekends, she's all about family: "No distractions." That's the premise behind her book, website and weekly XM radio show,&nbsp;Dot Complicated. "Unplugging, just family time," Zuckerberg says.Balancing tech and life together in Silicon Valley can be tough, but Zuckerberg thrives on the challenge. When she left her role as Facebook's marketing director in 2011 to launch her own company, she knew the bar was set high with her famous last name (Facebook CEO and chairman Mark Zuckerberg is her brother.)"I already hold myself to a high standard, so that just gave me the extra oomph to be a hungry, ambitious entrepreneur on my own," Zuckerberg says. "I have always considered myself hungry, ambitious and passionate about what I'm doing, so for me it's a no brainer that I continue to work really, really hard and establish my own brand out there.&nbsp;I feel like I wouldn't be happy if I wasn't always learning something new."Zuckerberg strongly believes that there's not one, "right" way, one strict formula, to get to success. "You don't just have to be a 19-year-old male dropout of an Ivy League college to be successful … Entrepreneurs come in all different shapes and sizes and appearances and we should celebrate all of them."Here are her tips for a little extra oomph while chasing your dreams and establishing your brand, whether that's as an entrepreneur, a young professional, a freelancer, a creative, or even a Broadway singer…1. Be open to multiple paths leading to your dreams.Zuckerberg's proudest work accomplishment and number one bucket list item? Starring in&nbsp;Rock of Ages&nbsp;on Broadway last spring. "I wish I could have told 18-year-old Randi, who wanted to sing on Broadway, to hang in there, stay ambitious—find another way to get there!"She says many people may relinquish their dreams early on because they're "not realistic or don't make money or life gets in the way," but accomplishing this lifelong dream made her realize a variety of paths can get you there. "You shouldn't give up, because a lot of opportunities can come back and find you later on."2. Build your social media presence.She landed that role thanks to social media. Instead of looking for traditional celebrities to perform in their show, the&nbsp;Rock of Ages&nbsp;team searched for someone with a big social following. They started asking around in the community and people said, "We know&nbsp;exactly&nbsp;the woman for you." (When she worked at Facebook, Zuckerberg performed in Feedbomb, a rock cover band, with fellow employees.)"I was just sitting in my living room when I got a call to come be on Broadway! Just an&nbsp;amazing&nbsp;moment." It was "a fantastic testament to social media," which is why she tells everyone to invest in their social presence. "Yes, you need to get really good at your craft but remember that you are a brand, too."&nbsp;3. Create boundaries.&nbsp;While you're honing your skills and building your brand, set limits with the technology available at our fingertips. "No one is going to set boundaries for you when it comes to tech"—except you.Zuckerberg tells employees they'll receive her emails in the middle of the night after her kids go to bed, but it doesn't mean she expects them to respond. "It's about respecting your own time and letting your own employees have permission to respect their own time as well."4. Learn from other people's mistakes.&nbsp;Zuckerberg has an insatiable appetite to learn. She says "the only way you're going to be successful is if you admit what you don't know and you ask for help"—like when she asked colleagues who knew about real estate, for their advice when she opened a studio."If someone else has already made that mistake and learned from it, why should you make that mistake again?"

There's no doubt Randi Zuckerberg wears several hats. The former Facebook marketing exec is founder and CEO of&nbsp;Zuckerberg Media, a boutique marketing

There's no doubt Randi Zuckerberg wears several hats. The former Facebook marketing exec is founder and CEO of&nbsp;Zuckerberg Media, a boutique marketing | SUCCESS

4 Ways Randi Zuckerberg Stays Hungry for Success

4 Ways Randi Zuckerberg Stays Hungry for Success | SUCCESS

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She’s a four-time Emmy Award-winning television personality and sportscaster for the New York Knicks. She’s a fashion expert and Today Show contributor (known for the “Ambush Makeover” and “Steals and Deals” segments). She’s the creative director of <a href="https://www.qvc.com/AllGILI.content.html" target="_blank" title="G.I.L.I. got it love it Complete Collection | QVC.com">QVC’s G.I.L.I. got it love it </a>fashion and accessories collection. She’s also the New York Times best-selling author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1609618912/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1609618912&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=sm0fe-20&amp;linkId=BTWPZLO6NX767RUI">I Have Nothing To Wear!</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160961495X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=160961495X&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=sm0fe-20&amp;linkId=33BCJWNJHSUYIHRS">The Weekend Makeover</a>. Who is she? Jill Martin.Her typical schedule? Busy. Martin, 39, will broadcast a Knicks game from 5 until 11 p.m. at Madison Square Garden, then head home to be ready for a Today segment the next morning at 6 a.m. at NBC Studios. (As a contributor, she’s typically on air two or three times a week.)After that, she’ll driveto QVC in Pennsylvania, and upon arrival on set, she’ll be on-air late night until 1 a.m. and throughout the following day. “Seven minutes here, 14 minutes there… it’s exhilarating,” she says.But the high-energy, multitasking Manhattanite wouldn’t have it any other way. “QVC, The Today Show and the Knicks are my kids right now.”Martin says her <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/how-to-speak-well-and-listen-better" target="_blank" title="How to Speak Well... and Listen Better | SUCCESS.com">communication skills</a> parlay themselves into each role she plays on a daily basis, from sideline reporter to style contributor. “For me sports, fashion, beauty and lifestyle fall into entertainment…. I get to entertain people and distract them from everyday life.”Somehow she manages to stay focused on everything life throws her way. SUCCESS caught up with Martin during her commute to QVC to ask how she juggles so much and what pointers she can share. Here are Martin’s six tips to becoming a triple threat:1. Become a “glorified pest.” Sure, she’s currently a creative director at QVC and launched products like garment bags and stylish hangers in 2013 under her own name, <a href="https://www.qvc.com/JillMartin.content.html" target="_blank" title="Jill Martin—For the Home | QVC.com">Jill by Jill Martin</a>, but at first glance you may not know it took her six years to get there. Yes, that’s right—six years.“It was a long process and I fought for a very long time. I was super-persistent,” she says. “I’m a glorified pest. I’m proud to be called scrappy—I’ll do whatever it takes.”2. Understand it’s a numbers game. Remember those toy spiders from when you were little, the gummy ones that you threw against the wall and slowly crawled down?To Martin, pitching is all about numbers: If you throw 10 gummy spiders onto a wall, one might stick, but if you throw 100 on a wall, maybe 10 will.“I throw everything out there, and then enough comes through.”3. Delete nonsense. Martin typically works 16-hour days seven days a week and says you “can’t have nonsense in your life.”If something is unhealthy in your day-to-day, you have to eliminate it. “Bad relationships, bad friendships. It’s energy you’re taking away from something you could be productive in.”4. Rely on a sounding board. Martin leans on her mother. “She comes the night before [to QVC], we drive together, then we go to dinner, to the hotel…. It’s fun.”Martin suggests relying on someone you trust. “I’m so lucky because I’m with someone who loves me more than I love myself. I trust her opinions. Any job you’re in is stressful, especially if you’re not married—you need that sounding board.”5. Create a paper plan and stick to it. For staying on point with tasks and projects, Martin kicks it old school. “I have one of those day books from year one that’s probably going to go out of business soon, [and] every day I have an index card of things I have to get done that day.”And while she admits she’s always working, to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/banish-stress-burnout-in-3-easy-steps" target="_blank" title="Banish Stress Burnout in 3 Easy Steps | SUCCESS.com">avoid burnout</a>, Martin has a list of things she does for a mental refresh. “It’s always the feeling of done [that makes me feel good], so having the color done, my hair blown out, spray tan, manicure. It sounds trivial but it’s important to me.” And she makes sure to maneuver a workout into her schedule, too—even if it’s just 30 minutes at a time.6. Push the envelope.Several years ago when Martin broadcasted entertainment segments for the Miami Heat, a CBS sports director asked if she’d be interested in becoming their sports reporter. “Absolutely! I told them. When I went in, they said, ‘Do you know about all sports?’ I’m like, ‘Absolutely!’”Truth be told, she knew basketball and football, but as for NASCAR, golf or hockey? Not so much. She told the director to give her 30 days to prove what she could do. “I knew once you’re in something, you stay—you just have to get in [first].”Martin got to work. She read Hockey for Dummies, Golf for Dummies… absorbing all the sports she could so she was a dummy no more. She was there for five years, and the funny part? “I went on to write <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470539267/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0470539267&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=sm0fe-20&amp;linkId=TF6KWS3YGTWG46UU">Fashion For Dummies</a>, so I became part of the Dummies family.”Her motto? Push beyond your limits. “I believe in pushing the envelope as far as you can. That’s how I’ve always lived. I knew once I got in there, I could make it work, and I did all I could. I never fail at something because I didn’t work hard enough.”<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/john-c-maxwell-5-reasons-why-dreams-dont-take-flight" target="_self" title="John C. Maxwell: 5 Reasons Why Dreams Don't Take Flight | SUCCESS.com">A lot of us never see our dreams come true. Find out the 5 things that trap our dreams—and overcome them.</a>

[node:summary] - From sideline reporter to style contributor to creative director, Jill Martin shares secrets to her trifecta success.

She’s a four-time Emmy Award-winning television personality and sportscaster for the New York Knicks. She’s a fashion expert and Today Show contributor | SUCCESS

How to Become a Triple Threat

How to Become a Triple Threat | SUCCESS

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Most 18-year-olds share stories of rebellious pursuit with those who will listen, but teen scientist Jack Andraka isn&rsquo;t like most 18-year-olds. He shares stories of innovative discovery in his new memoir, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062369652/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=0062369652&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=sm0fe-20&amp;linkId=PU3Q73VU6ZLZBQD6">Breakthrough</a>.He was only 15 years old when he invented an inexpensive early detection test for pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancers, after a close family friend died from pancreatic cancer. His breakthrough test detects an increase of a protein that indicates the presence of early stage pancreatic, ovarian and lung cancers. Tests cost 3 cents and take five minutes to run; he currently holds an international patent on the device.Now, a graduating senior who is valedictorian of his class, Andraka has his sights set on Stanford University in the fall to study bioengineering and minor in computer science. &ldquo;I definitely want to be in the medical field when I grow up,&rdquo; Andraka, the valedictorian senior says. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m probably going to medical school.&rdquo;Ask this 18-year-old about his most memorable moment and he&rsquo;ll describe that magical moment when the test first started to work. &ldquo;It was midnight in the lab; no one else was there. I had been working on this for several months and nothing had been working. It finally started working. I jumped up and screamed, ran around the lab, then I called my mom!&rdquo;Want to change the world, one &ldquo;experiment&rdquo; at a time? Take some notes from Andraka&rsquo;s laboratory skills for your own innovative pursuit:1. Be persistent. Or in this case, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/4-tips-to-be-an-effective-complainer" target="_blank" title="4 Tips to Be an Effective Complainer | SUCCESS.com">be stubborn</a>. (Yes, it can actually be a good thing). &ldquo;I&rsquo;m incredibly stubborn. For anyone who wants to really innovate, you&rsquo;re going to be told no, and you have to just keep pushing.&rdquo;The fact that his invention was turned down by 199 labs doesn&rsquo;t really matter when all that really counts is the one lab at John Hopkins that expressed interest.2. Embrace failure. It isn&rsquo;t only part of the process&mdash;it&rsquo;s most of the process. Anticipate it and then briskly push it aside to keep moving forward.&ldquo;In science, failure is always going to happen; it just comes with the territory, so you should just <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/5-ways-to-reframe-failure" target="_blank" title="5 Ways to Reframe Failure | SUCCESS.com">accept failure</a>. You learn from your failures.&rdquo; Andraka recommends to &ldquo;keep going and going&rdquo; because failure &ldquo;makes your experiences that much stronger.&rdquo;3. Patience is part of the process, too. &ldquo;Keep pushing,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;because it only takes one time to make a breakthrough.&rdquo; Persistence pays off.And you can achieve that exhilarating feeling when going out there to change the world. If you&rsquo;re patient, he explains, &ldquo;great things will happen.&rdquo;4. Learn how to communicate. So, how did this teen scientist deliver <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/jack_andraka_a_promising_test_for_pancreatic_cancer_from_a_teenager?language=en" target="_blank" title="Jack Andraka: A promising test for pancreatic cancer ... from a teenager | TED.com">his first TED talk</a> as a ninth-grader? He simply taught himself how to speak. Since he was 6 years old, he was giving presentations and watching TED talks thinking, Oh my gosh, how am I getting there?Practice makes perfect and learning to express oneself is critical to explaining amazing innovations. &ldquo;If you can&rsquo;t communicate your results effectively,&rdquo; he says, &ldquo;then no one will understand your idea.&rdquo;5. Success doesn&rsquo;t discriminate. To any naysayers who tell themselves they&rsquo;re too young, too old, too much this or not enough that, Andraka emphatically <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/doubtbusters-erase-self-limiting-beliefs" target="_blank" title="Doubtbusters: Erase Self-Limiting Beliefs | SUCCESS.com">tosses aside self-doubt</a>.&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t matter what you look like, or your age or gender, it&rsquo;s just your ideas that count.&rdquo;<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/3-questions-successful-innovators-ask-themselves" target="_self" title="3 Questions Successful Innovators Ask Themselves | SUCCESS.com">Do you think you have a good idea? Find out if it&rsquo;s truly inventive with 3 questions successful innovators ask themselves.</a>

[node:summary] - The teen scientist who invented a test for early cancer detection says anyone with a big idea can change the world.

Most 18-year-olds share stories of rebellious pursuit with those who will listen, but teen scientist Jack Andraka isn&rsquo;t like most 18-year-olds. He | SUCCESS

Jack Andraka’s 5 Tips for Innovative Pursuits

Jack Andraka’s 5 Tips for Innovative Pursuits | SUCCESS

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Try this for the quintessential rags to riches story: Jonah White, creator of gag gift Billy Bob Teeth, went from sleeping on park benches and living in a cave to building his own log cabin-style mansion, with 50 exotic pets to keep him company.The founder and CEO of Billy Bob Teeth Inc., which sells over 200 products, and host of Discovery Channel&rsquo;s Billy Bob&rsquo;s Gags to Riches has had a colorful path to business success.White launched his business with $400 and the product that started it all&mdash;a set of buck-toothed acrylics called Billy Bob Teeth, which the company says they&rsquo;ve manufactured more than 20 million units. In this interview for SUCCESS, White reveals his philosophy for life and running his business&mdash;and that&rsquo;s no laughing matter.Know what&rsquo;s important. As White tells it, in 1994 he holed himself up in a cave for almost an entire year as an exercise in creativity and inspiration. He used the time to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/master-the-art-of-setting-goals-in-4-steps" target="_blank" title="Master the Art of Setting Goals in 4 Steps | SUCCESS.com" rel="noopener">identify goals</a> to manifest, and discovered something important. Despite White&rsquo;s meager upbringing, making a fortune did not rank first on his hierarchy of needs.&ldquo;Sure, money is necessary and lets you do lots of nice things for people, but it&rsquo;s down on the list,&rdquo; says White, who now lives on 1,400 acres in rural Illinois with his family and assorted animals, including house possums, a bear, birds, skunks, snakes and a baby zebra, his newest addition.&ldquo;<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/10-steps-to-a-healthier-you" target="_blank" title="10 Steps to a Healthier You | SUCCESS.com" rel="noopener">The most important thing is my own health</a>. That&rsquo;s number one. If I&rsquo;m not alive, how can I help other people? How healthy I am, how healthy and happy my family is, and how my family and employees see me&mdash;[that] is a major indicator of how I&rsquo;m doing a good job or not.&rdquo;Lead from what you know. White runs his business like a hard-hitting football team, by applying what he learned playing college ball. Each facet of the business is analogous to an element of the sport.&ldquo;I have an offensive line that blocks for me. I have other backs who carry the ball, this is my sales force. I have a shipping department, they&rsquo;re like my defensive line,&rdquo; White says. &ldquo;I have a coach, that&rsquo;s my CFO.&ldquo;Do I do everything the coach tells me all the time? No.&rdquo;Life is what we make of it. Ask White about destiny and he&rsquo;ll tell you to create it yourself. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe that someone has a plan for us and we can just coast on autopilot. I&rsquo;m a firm believer that your destiny is something you make yourself.&rdquo;He believes life is comprised of making one good decision after another. Yes, surrounding yourself with good people helps but people think they got lucky or got a big break. &ldquo;If you really think about it and researched what happened, it came from a decision you previously made. You worked hard.&rdquo;Go to extremes. The CEO pulled &ldquo;a really good&rdquo; April Fool&rsquo;s Day prank several years ago. While driving his elderly neighbors into town to get their mail, he called an employee and asked if she heard sirens.&ldquo;The whole hillside&rsquo;s on fire!&rdquo; he proclaimed, hanging up the phone for urgency. He said two fire engines were en route to his neighbor&rsquo;s house adjacent to their shipping warehouse and advised the team to grab buckets of water and towels.Arriving back at the office, he spotted employees scurrying around the woods and returned to find locked doors. &ldquo;They locked me out!&rdquo;He called an employee who indicated, &ldquo;We went around the side of the Flocks&rsquo; house with buckets of water&mdash;they were eating their cereal on their back porch.&rdquo; Busted.<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/how-i-quit-my-job-traveled-the-world-and-became-an-entrepreneur-all-before-i-turned-25" target="_self" title="How I Quit My Job, Traveled the World and Became an Entrepreneur—All Before I Turned 25 | SUCCESS.com" rel="noopener">Learn how one entrepreneur took success in his own hands and brought his business to the next level.</a>

Try this for the quintessential rags to riches story: Jonah White, creator of gag gift Billy Bob Teeth, went from sleeping on park benches and living in a

Try this for the quintessential rags to riches story: Jonah White, creator of gag gift Billy Bob Teeth, went from sleeping on park benches and living in a | SUCCESS

The Toothy Story of Gag Gift Favorite: Billy Bob Teeth

The Toothy Story of Gag Gift Favorite: Billy Bob Teeth | SUCCESS

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