What Success Looks Like Everyday

While reading “Made in America by Sam Walton” last few days, it was easy to come to a conclusion that no matter what a man can achieve, his humility sometimes is biggest reflection of him after all. Sam Walton while describing his journey all the way from his first store in Newport Arkansas till he received Presidential Medal of Freedom categorically kept in readers mind that whatever he achieved in his life, personal wealth was last to be mentioned. His customers and his associates were his greatest achievements. He never planned to make Walmart the giant it is today, but he was never complacent either.

David Glass (Former President and CEO – Walmart) commented once that “Two things about Sam Walton distinguish him from almost everyone else I know. First, he gets up every day bound and determined to improve something. Second, he is less afraid of being wrong than anyone I’ve ever known. And once he sees he’s wrong, he just shakes it off and heads in another direction”. What i was able to infer after reading the book is that, Sam Walton never started the whole thing as a grand plan. It was one day at a time and one step at a time. Little improvement everyday, rather than expecting a giant leap overnight.

That’s what success takes. It wears you down to last piece. The Journey most times is tiring, monotonous and even irritating sometimes. I saw a TED Talk few days ago which was in similar lines. A speaker went on to explain his achievement with just a little twitch he did with his behaviour. Whatever he planned to achieve, he always divided the whole plan into smallest pieces possible. As small as a milestone which can be achieved in 15 minutes. It made a lot of sense to me. Being present at what you are doing right now and giving 100 percent of what you have got is what you need to do to achieve something which would take 10 years to achieve.

I wouldn’t say that Made in America is most inspiring book, Sam Walton hardly uses the big inspiring words we generally expect from an icon that he is. The whole story is rather a revelation about what your everyday should look like if you want to achieve something big in your life. Today people may not have very high opinion about walmart as a company, but it’s an epitome of one man’s conviction and his relentless pursuit of something bigger than himself

A.J.