Inspiration – Page 69

A Garbage Man: The Greatest Job I’ve Ever Had

05.25.2007 by Marc Chernoff // 6 Comments

One of my good buddies recently told me a rather thought-provoking story. As short and simple as it is, the story uncovers certain indirect truths pertaining to personal satisfaction in life and the impact that camaraderie plays in creating a rewarding career.

It goes something like this:

garbage man When I joined the Marines as an active duty soldier in the mid 1990’s my first job as a lowly 18 year old Private First Class was picking up trash on the military base. I worked with 5 other soldiers my age. We drove a pickup truck around the base for several hours every morning picking up other people’s garbage bags and emptying small dumpsters. Military or not, we were garbage men, through and through. What initially seemed like a nightmare, actually ended up turning into one of the greatest jobs I’ve ever had.

It’s not that I love the idea of being a garbage man, or even that I enjoyed picking up smelly bags of trash. I enjoyed the job because I loved hanging out with the guys I worked with. In the four years I spent serving my country as a Marine, I was assigned many different jobs, duties, and responsibilities. Many of these jobs held more prestige and were far more sophisticated than my duties as garbage man. Yet when I look back at my military years, some of the most memorable moments, the moments that defy the test of time, emerged from the month that I spent with my fellow garbage man buddies.

Maybe I was just young and carefree, or maybe the personalities just clicked. Either way, I’m proud to say that being a garbage man for one month on a military base in Japan was one of the greatest jobs I’ve ever had. It was an experience that taught me a fundamental life lesson… No matter how difficult a task is or how intimidating the surroundings are, with the right mix of people working together, any task can be easily conquered while being collectively rewarding to all the parties involved.

You Will Succeed When You Are the Only Person in the World

05.09.2007 by Marc Chernoff // 2 Comments

The focus of this discussion is on your world, not the physical planet that every other being on Earth inhabits. It has been my experience that a substantial number of individuals spend a lofty percentage of their time enthralled in other people’s issues. Sometimes they excite themselves, or even upset themselves with these third-party concerns. Compound this wasted time with the fact that most of the individuals involved are completely lost concerning the direction of their own lives, and you begin understand the cyclical source responsible for the renouncement of personal dreams and success.

only one person How can anyone successfully conquer their dreams when they ignore the world of possibility they live in? Whomever coined the phrase “the world does not revolve around you” was in complete disconnect with the big picture. It is true that your world does not revolve around me. Likewise, my world certainly does not revolve around you. The world is what you make of it within the infinite bounds of your own individual life. So your world should be the world that matters to you, and thus the exclusive setting in which you focus your time, your energy, and your passion.

Am I alluding to the notion that I have it all figured out? Absolutely not, in fact I believe life is a continuous series of lessons. We all have much to learn. This is just food for thought.

This post was somewhat inspired by this post.

Update: This post was included in the Success and Abundance Lifestyle Carnival.

Seizing the Unforeseen Moment of Opportunity

03.16.2007 by Marc Chernoff // 1 Comment

Short self-help articles discussing the motivational concept of seizing opportunity have become common filler on the face of news websites across the web. The fundamental lesson usually rests within the notion that one must absolutely capitalize on opportunity when it arises, for it may not come again. It seems like countless individuals, including myself, concentrate heavily on the hunt for opportunity. Most of us spend a great deal of time searching for a new job, analyzing the potential of an investment, brainstorming the million dollar idea, all while endlessly attempting to impress our superiors.

When will our big break transpire? When will the perceived outcome we so desperately seek move from our imagination into the physical space before us? These are questions pertaining to a point in time that will continue to remain unknown. We all have the ability to take steps in a positive direction, but the climatic moment that solidifies the success of all our efforts will come suddenly, in complete disregard of what we see coming over the horizon.

So how can we be certain that we will be ready to seize the opportunity in the wake of that unforeseen moment? I’m only beginning to apprehend a slight understanding of the essential elements. It has nothing to do with luck, and everything to do with confidence, awareness and education. We must always be prepared to act… and when the moment arises, we react.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

12.26.2006 by Marc Chernoff // 3 Comments

I just came across the transcript of a graduation commencement address that Steve Jobs delivered to the Stanford University class of 2005. Certain parts of this speech strongly coincide with the underlying message in my previous post. Beyond that, it provides some exceptional first hand advice from a man who followed his heart and intuition in pursuit of what he loved in life… and he came out on top. The full commencement address is definitely worth a quick read. Here are a couple excerpts that initially caught my attention:

“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything, all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

“Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.”

All That Really Matters

12.16.2006 by Marc Chernoff // Leave a Comment

Every morning you wake up to being one day older. These days roll into weeks, months, and years. Before you know it, a significant portion of time has passed you by. The question ultimately becomes: Have you been successful in how you spent your time? It all depends on what you value most. Maybe you value spending time with your family and close friends, making money, learning a new skill, or helping others. The most important aspect encompasses the notion that everyone should truly enjoy what they do with their time. They should enjoy it in such a fashion that when they look back at their past, they are fond of the memories. Someday it may be all that really matters. As Pink Floyd once said, “…the memories of a man in his old age are the deeds of a man in his prime…”.