• March 2012

How Do You Define Success?

What does it take to truly be successful? Abraham Lincoln said, “Your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.” Albert Schweitzer believed, “A great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up.” And Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova noted: “To follow, without halt, one aim: There’s the secret of success.”

Of course, the answer to that question is a highly personal one, as Maria Bartiromo insists in in her thoughtful book, The 10 Laws of Enduring Success.

We recently met the CNBC financial anchor when she was the keynote speaker at the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce 2012 Economic Outlook conference at the Hyatt at the Bellevue.

In addition to offering her thoughts on the local, national, and global economic picture for this year and beyond, she talked about her experiences interviewing some of the world’s top business and political leaders. Don’t miss her 10 Laws.

This month we also shine a spotlight on Philadelphia’s best and brightest.

In this issue you will:

As Bartiromo says: “Humility, not hubris, laughing at yourself, and not wasting time on outrage, is essential. So be Darwinian. Today we’re facing a situation scarcely imaginable less than a decade ago. Those who survive and grow will be those who evolve.”

Here’s to your success. — Hope Katz Gibbs, Be Inkandescent

Maria Bartiromo Offers a Compass to Navigate Tough Times

MARCH 2012: MARIA BARTIROMO HELPS US FIND THE SECRET TO SUCCESS

By Hope Katz Gibbs, Publisher and Founder
Be Inkandescent magazine

When it comes to the challenge of finding success, financial reporter Maria Bartiromo admits she had two things going against her.

“I was a reporter with a camera, and I was a woman,” she shares, noting she persevered through the early days reporting live from the testosterone-fueled boys club on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. “Then one day, I was standing by the General Electric post and there were maybe 25 guys within earshot when one of them who was about three times my age said, ‘Run along, little girl, and don’t come here again.’ I had knots in my stomach. I looked at him and said, ‘Don’t talk to me that way’—and I ran along! But I came back! And I kept coming back. And 20 years later, I’m still here.”

Indeed. And so are many other female financial reporters, thanks to Bartiromo’s fearless determination. Not only is she the anchor of CNBC’s “Closing Bell with Maria Bartiromo,” and the host and managing editor of the nationally syndicated “Wall Street Journal Report with Maria Bartiromo,” she is the author of three books, including the one we are focusing on this month, The 10 Laws of Enduring Success.

“The times have changed. We need a fresh understanding of the meaning of success,” writes Bartiromo in her book.

“During bullish, optimistic periods, people seem to ride an upward wave with ease and confidence,” she insists. “The tangible evidence is right there for all to see—in their jobs, bank accounts, homes, and families, and in the admiration of their peers. But it is a fact of life that success, once earned, is not necessarily there to stay. If ever there was a cautionary tale about the fleeting nature of success, it is the events of recent years.”

Faced with gut-wrenching realities, many people have started to re-evaluate the meaning of success in less superficial and more permanent ways, she explains.

“They’re asking themselves hard questions that have long been ignored about what’s really important to them and where the foundation of their personal achievement lies.”

Her 10 laws are based on her own experience, as well as in-depth interviews with Bill Gates, Goldie Hawn, Jack Welch, and others who epitomize American success.

She talked with them about the intangibles that can’t be measured or counted. This includes the qualities that aren’t reflected in the title on your business card. It’s more about how you remain successful—even when the worst things happen to you.

Bartiromo spoke of success and rebounding from a few tough years when she offered her thoughts on the economy last month at the 2012 Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook Conference.

Following are her thoughts on three of the most pressing questions on the minds of the business community.

Question 1: How do you define success in business?

Maria Bartiromo: Success is defined by so many things, and it’s not always monetary. In my book, “10 Laws,” I was able to interview a whole host of people—from business heads and heads of state, to people managing businesses, and chess champions—to find out how individuals define success. And I discovered that’s exactly what success is: How you define it.

To me, success means contentment, happiness, and being comfortable in your own skin. Today, I think we’re seeing a lot of success stories across the world. We’re seeing economies of success like the emerging markets of Brazil and China, growing so much and seeing domestic demand.

We’re seeing success in terms of leadership in business today, and in terms of monetary success and strengths. But at the end of the day, it comes down to how you feel as an individual.

Question 2: Everyone can identify businesses that are successful, but you have had the experience of interviewing the heads of successful businesses personally. Whom in business do you admire?

Maria Bartiromo: I get this question all the time. Who do you think is the best interview you have ever done?

I look at titans of industry, such as Warren Buffett or Jack Welch, or the CEO of Exxon/Mobil, Lee Raymond. All of them are so strong and have an in-depth understanding of the global market because they have operations around the world. They were all great to interview. Sandy Weill, the former CEO of Citigroup, was always a great interview.

Certain character traits are shared by successful people, and one of those is leadership.

Another important trait is humility. That means not taking yourself too seriously, and knowing that everything is fragile and in many cases temporary. Also, integrity. You can be successful and not have integrity, but I don’t think you can define success without it. People want to be around people with integrity, people who are doing the right thing. I think that’s very important.

Hard work is also important. I have spent a lot of time looking at different success stories, and it’s not about who you know. It’s about the hard work you put into something.

Question 3: What is your 2012 economic outlook?

Maria Bartiromo: I think things are getting better. In the U.S., we are seeing some data points that indicate we’ve turned a corner, whether it be on unemployment or the change in the positive-negative (PN) sentiment people have about the economy.

But I think things are very fragile still. Europe is a wild card. I just got back from Davos where I attended the World Economic Forum, and I was able to interview a lot of heads of European banks.

They told me that basically, it’s very much touch-and-go. If Greece defaults on some of its payments, that could create a dislocation in the markets that will undermine the credibility of the bonds in the rest of the Eurozone. That could be very dangerous. Everyone has an eye on Europe.

But for the most part in the U.S., things are a bit better. And the U.S., relatively speaking, is actually looking a lot better than the rest of the world right now.

A global slowdown is actually under way. Places like China, which has been the economic engine for the world for a long time, has slowed from 11 percent growth to 8 percent. Now, 8 percent is still relatively very strong. But when you go from 11 to 8, that has ripple effects.

And right now there’s a debate as to whether or not the strength that we are seeing has been temporary and due to increased spending during the holidays. I am a lot more optimistic than I was last year at this time. And I think that innovation and growth is coming from a lot of sectors like technology and media, so I do believe that things are getting better.

There’s more! Click here to review Maria Baritoromo’s 10 Laws of Success for Entrepreneurs.

Maria Bartioromo's 10 Laws for Enduring Success

From self-knowledge to initiative and integrity, award-winning CNBC finance reporter Maria Bartiromo offers insights on the qualities that have helped some of the top leaders find internal and external success in her book, “The 10 Laws of Enduring Success.”

Her interviews with Bill Gates, Charles Schwab, Deepak Chopra, Bono, Goldie Hawn, Condoleezza Rice, and others helped her the identify what really matters in life, especially during hard times, she explains.

“You can’t always control the way you are judged by others, but you can live your life in such a way that you can look at yourself in the mirror and feel content,” Bartiromo insists. “I’ve learned that although the landscape of success changes from era to era, there are fundamental qualities that remain consistent, no matter what is happening in the outside world.”

Following are the 10 qualities that Bartiromo believes make for enduring success:

1. Self-Knowledge: Listen to your heart. “Without this, nothing else is possible. It’s the ability to define for yourself what shape your life will take, and how you will pursue success. Success is not an abstraction. It exists in the context of who you are, where you are, and what you love. It is tangible, but not necessarily monetary. It is a state of being content in your heart.”

2. Vision: Plant your dreams on solid ground. “Vision is the ability to look ahead and see possibility. It is the place where your dreams and your actions come together. Vision may seem like a lofty ideal, but its most important characteristic is focus. The shotgun approach to life and career almost never works. Vision involves looking at the world around you and asking, ‘What am I going to do about it? How am I going to use the precious gift of my one life?’ Without a focused vision, you’re just bouncing off walls.”

3. Initiative: Keep rattling the cage. “Successful people are always thinking about what they can do to move to the next level. Initiative is the drive to do it—to take the first step, and then the next step, and then the next step. You can’t sort of want it. You can’t sit around waiting for it. The great thing about initiative is that it’s free and available to everyone. It’s a matter of doing something instead of not doing something.”

4. Courage: Be bold, smart, and fair. Courage is the inner fortitude that allows you to overcome barriers and to step up and take a chance, even when it seems impossible. The most successful people I know embody the kind of bravery that makes others remark, ‘I can’t believe you did that.’ Courage means you’ll try something if you aren’t certain of the outcome, you’ll take a stand when others are running for cover, you’ll risk failure to get where you want to go. It’s deciding to live in a mindset of possibility instead of fear. It is manifested in everyday actions.”

5. Integrity: Do the right thing. Integrity means doing the right thing. I guarantee you’ll know it. You’ll feel it in your gut. Integrity means looking inside yourself. When you strip everything else away, what kind of person are you? When faced with an ethical dilemma, we all know in our hearts what’s the right thing to do. You can have money and not have integrity. You can have fame and not have integrity. You can have a corner office and not have integrity. But you can never have true success without integrity.”

6. Adaptability: Stay open to change. Adaptability is the opposite of complacency. The survivors are always those who can adapt. That’s been true since the beginning of time, and it’s certainly the case now. Technology has changed so many industries, including the media, with newspapers closing down and information exploding on the Web. The manufacturing sector is faltering as production and jobs are outsourced to cheaper locales. Millions of jobs have been lost, and people are wondering if they’ll ever be recovered. The answer lies in our ability to adapt to change—not to resist it, but to find the openings to new opportunities. There is no question that the people who are bet positioned to survive the financial crisis are those adept at shifting gears.”

7. Humility: Hold on to your humanity. “Some of the greatest people I know are also the most humble. Humility doesn’t mean being wishy-washy, or letting others run over you in their climb to the top. It’s merely the understanding that you’re human. People with humility are extremely appealing. Believe in yourself, but don’t think you’re the center of the universe.”

8. Endurance: Build your stamina. “Since success is fleeting, you can never count on keeping it once you have it. Success is a long march, and you need the tools to endure. Even if you are doing what you love, you can get burned out over time. Endurance requires pacing, discipline, and the ability to sacrifice short-term gains for long-term results. Endurance means measuring success, not as an ultimate goal at the end of the road, but as a daily act of life. The most successful people are those who know how to pave the road with incremental triumphs.”

9. Purpose: Know what matters. “We all have a vocation, which transcends the material factors of job, income, and lifestyle. Many people find they came late to the realization of what really mattered in their lives, and often are awakened by a crisis. Don’t wait for disaster to find your purpose. Deep down, we all long to live lives of meaning and fulfillment.”

10. Resilience: Get up and move on. “Life is a seesaw. Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. In your heart of hearts, you know that success is fleeting. It’s possible to lose it all. But at times we see people coming back, almost as if they’re rising from the grave, and that inspires optimism.

Want to read more? Click here to buy the book.

There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”

– Leonard Cohen

If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more.
 If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.”

– Oprah Winfrey

‎No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another.”

– Charles Dickens

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

– Nelson Mandela

When I was younger I thought success was being a star, driving nice cars, having groupies. But today I think the most important thing is to live your life with integrity.

– Ellen DeGeneres

There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”

– JFK

You may ask me for anything you like except time.”

– Napoleon

If you would create something,
 you must be something.”

– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I find out what the world needs, then I proceed to invent.”

– Thomas Edison

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.”

– Dalai Lama

I’ve come to confirm that one’s title, even that of president, says little about how well one’s life has been led. No matter how much you’ve done, or how successful you’ve been, there’s always more to do, to learn, and to achieve.”

– Barack Obama

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”

– T.S. Eliot

Friendship is the only cement that will hold the world together.”

– Woodrow Wilson

The great use of life is to spend it on something that will outlast it.”

– William James

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.”

– Mark Twain

Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog it’s too dark to read.”

– Groucho Marx

To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.”

– Robert Louis Stevenson

With ordinary talents and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable.”

– Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton

If you want to be busy, keep trying to be perfect. If you want to be happy, focus on making a difference.”

– Lisa Earle McLeod

It is possible to fail in many ways…while to succeed is possible only in one way.”

– Aristotle

Don’t follow, lead. Don’t copy, create. Don’t start, finish. Don’t sit still, move. Don’t fit in, stand out. Don’t sit quietly, speak up. (Not all the time, sure, but more often.)”

– Seth Godin

Remove those ‘I want you to like me’ stickers from your forehead
and, instead, place them where they truly will do the most good—on your mirror.”

– Susan Jeffers

Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams, for when dreams go, life is a barren field frozen with snow.”

– Langston Hughes

Instead of loving your enemies, treat your friends a little better.”

– Edgar W. Howe

The fixity of a habit is generally in direct proportion to its absurdity.”

– Marcel Proust

In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”

– Albert Einstein

We never know how high we are
 till we are called to rise;
 And then, if we are true to plan,
 Our statures touch the skies.”

– Emily Dickinson

The good ideas are all hammered out in agony by individuals, not spewed out by groups.”

– Charles Brower, Advertising Hall of Fame

Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

– Christopher Robin to Pooh

‎Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way.”

– Booker T. Washington

Why am I whispering when I have something to say?”

– Eve Ensler

We are all of us born with a letter inside us, and that only if we are true to ourselves, may we be allowed to read it before we die.”

– Douglas Coupland

I’m not afraid of storms,
for I’m learning to sail my ship.”

– Louisa May Alcott

A great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up.”

– Albert Schweitzer

The music is all around us. All you have to do is listen.”

– August Rush

Treat the attainment of happiness in the same way an entrepreneur would approach building a business — with a vision, plan, goals, and a systematic approach.”

– Ted Leonsis

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”

– Abraham Lincoln

Entrepreneurs are willing to roll the dice with their money or reputation on the line in support of an idea or enterprise.”

– Victor Kiam

Let yourself be silently drawn by the strange pull of what you really love.”

– Jalaluddin Rumi

The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.”

– Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., U.S. Supreme Court justice

Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true.”

– Leo Jozef Suenens

Anything not worth doing well is not worth doing.”

– Warren Buffett

Do not say, ‘why were the former days better than these,’ for it is not from wisdom that you ask this.”

– Ecclesiastes, 7:10

Nothing is a mistake. There’s no win and no fail. There’s only make.”

– Corita Kent

We are perfectionists. We are hungry to work all the time. We are entertained by every aspect of business and we never want to stop working.”

– Suzy Welch

The gem cannot be polished without friction; nor man perfected without trials.”

– Chinese proverb

What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”

– Magical

But all the while I was alone, the past was close behind, I seen a lot of women, but she never escaped my mind, and I just grew, tangled up in blue.”

– Bob Dylan

Your own words are the bricks and mortar
of the dreams you want to realize.
 The words you choose and their use establish the life you experience.”

– Sonia Croquette

The person who makes a success of living is the one who see his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication.”

– Cecil B. DeMille

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