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by Donald J. Trump, Chairman, Trump University
The first sentence in my first book, The Art of the
Deal, goes like this: "I don't do it for the money. I've got enough,
much more than I'll ever need. I do it to do it. Deals are my art form.
Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry.
I like making deals, preferably big deals. That's how I get my kicks."
That book came out in 1987. It's almost 20 years later
and I'm still making deals and I'm still not doing it for the money.
I think time is on my side because I have a lot more money now than
I did then.
At the end of that book, I also mention that there
are two things I have found myself to be very good at: overcoming obstacles
and motivating good people to do their best work. I've had some major
challenges since then, which I've met, and I've made a hit television
show out of motivating smart people to do and be their best. I certainly
didn't see that one coming, nor did I see Trump University surfacing
either. But here we are, with The Apprentice entering yet another season
and Trump University expanding in many ways.
I didn't get involved in either one of these ventures
to make money. I had something to offer and the opportunities presented
themselves to me. I was simply in the midst of doing my daily deals
when these things found their way to me. It's funny how that can work.
Notice that I said I was working, doing my daily deals. I wasn't sitting
around waiting for people to come up with great ideas for me. I was
focused on my business and moving forward daily when they were presented
to me. There's something about keeping your momentum going that can
work like a generator in producing and attracting good energy and great
ideas.
If I was in it just for the money, I would never have
ended up doing a lot of the things I've done. Take Wollman Rink, for
example. My decision to renovate it didn't come from any profit motive.
I did it to save the city time and money. I knew I had the ability to
get it done in less time and for less money. I loved doing that job
because I love New York City and Central Park, and the citizens of New
York deserve the best.
Ask yourself what you love doing first, then think
about the money. If you think about the money first, you've got it all
wrong. That's a backwards approach to success, and it won't be very
rewarding for very long. Sure, money is a scorecard and it is certainly
useful, but it shouldn't be the be all and end all. See it as the means
to an end, but not the total reason for your efforts or endeavors. As
Benjamin Franklin put it: "He that is of the opinion money will
do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money."
You might be thinking that it's easy for me to say
what I'm saying because I'm already a billionaire. It probably helps,
but even when I was a millionaire, I was interested above all in the
end product. I had to care about what I was doing, while keeping the
big picture in mind. I wanted to transform the Commodore Hotel into
a beautiful Hyatt Hotel not just because it would be a great success,
but because it would help the surrounding, increasingly dilapidated
area of Grand Central on 42nd Street. That's a major thoroughfare, and
it was becoming an eyesore and an undesirable location in midtown Manhattan.
My success there began a renewal that has continued to this day. Yes,
I made money, but there was more to it than just that.
Give your goals substance. Imbue them with a value
that exceeds the monetary. Make them count on as many levels as you
can. Give them a subtext that will provide them with a dimension that
will not only benefit you but other people as well. In other words,
get the big picture. That's an important aspect of thinking big - and
a big step towards greater success.
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