The Benefits of Looking Ahead: Success Tips from 1950
Published on - January 1st, 2008 (by J.D. Roth) Happy New Year!
As we say “good-bye” to the old year and “hello” to the new, it’s a great chance to look ahead to our plans for the future. I believe that the road to success is paved with goals.
Who are the people who are most likely to succeed? What’s the secret of their success? Let’s see if Nick Baxter can help us to find the answer in this short film from 1950:
“To succeed at something, you have to have a purpose, make plans for reaching it, and work at it all the time,” says Nick’s friend, Don. “You should be working on your future right now!” His admonitions have the desired effect. Nick contrasts two possible futures, and decides he knows which one he prefers:
Yes, I want a future that’s something like that. I want to be happy, to be somebody, to have a good job. Friends, a home, a wife and kids. But how do I get there? If that’s my purpose, how do I reach it? How? Detailed plans…
I can write them down. I can add to them as I go along — change them even — but the important thing is having plans, plans to work with.
Of all the old videos I’ve shared in the past year, this has the worst acting — by far. Despite this, and despite the glacial pace, it’s one of my favorites.
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Plans are a great second step (goals being a great first step). Just remember that it’s easy to get stuck in the planning stage. So an even more important third step is taking action. Goals and plans deal with the future but actions are for the present.
Happy New Year!
Peter
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I have seen this clip before and thought, “man what terrible acting!” No really despite that the point of it all is great and a tribute to the good values we used to find in film.
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> this has the worst acting — by far
Sometimes the best messages aren’t in the nicest packages.
Best Wishes,
D4L
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Happy New Year!
-Mike
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As everyone has said, it is a great message. One that I wish would resonate more with those in High School now. It is so much easier the earlier you begin te process.
I do believe that it is possible, however, that perhaps Don was exposed to too many paint fumes and that is why he talked like Rambo
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It would be great if this resonated more with high school today, yes!
However, I don’t know that those in high school get exposed to this sort of message either — I’m pretty cynical about the state of our educational system these days. I think kids in the 50s were a lot luckier than kids of my generation and this current generation in the sort of educational environment they had.
In any event, I enjoy these videos JD!
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Back in the day it used to be uncool to be a drifter or “bum” and cool to be focused and purposeful. It seems today’s youth are more focused on the easy way out, “just doing stuff” or making a quick buck.
A bums life it is…
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Well — I always say if you don’t like the way the youth of today are, look at the society and adults around them.
Seriously. I think today’s youth have gotten a bum deal from the adults paving the way for them. I’d especially like the baby boomers to take some responsibility for the world that’s come to be under their watch instead of being cynical about the misbegotten youth of today.
P.S. — I’ll be 40 this year.
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Excellent!
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A bums life it is…
Is that better or worse than a working poor life?
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