Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney

I got this today from Clayton Makepeace, a phenomenally successful entrepreneur, and it was too wonderful not to share.  After attending a concert by Beatle Paul McCartney, he mused on Paul’s success. Apparently Paul was told as a child he didn’t have enough talent to become a choirboy! Now the Guinness Book Of World Records lists him as the most successful musician and composer in popular music history. So much for letting someone else say who we are and what we can do!

An excerpt of Clayton Makepeace’s thoughts on Paul McCartney’s philosophies of success -

So, if we asked him for his thoughts on success, I can guess at some of what he might say:

1. Be a fan first: If there’s something you love and that you want to learn to do, immerse yourself in the work of those who are already doing it best.

2. Never be ashamed to have heroes. Learn all you can from them … allow their work to influence yours and to spark new ideas for you. And always bring something new to the table – your take on a role model’s successful technique.

3.   But be careful: Emulation without inspiration just makes you a second-rate cover band. Get the balance right and you’ll earn a reputation for being an innovator – a creative genius.

4. Have a vision for your life and be determined to make it happen.

5. Work, work, work: For their first few years building a following and even after they conquered America, being a Beatle was brutal, back-breaking work.  By some accounts, they got only five or six days off a year for nearly seven years.  So you have to ask yourself; if talents of this magnitude had to work that hard to get what they wanted from life, what excuse do any of us have to do less?

6. Embrace difficulties: Once, while driving through a nighttime blizzard to get to their next show, their driver shattered the van’s windshield. To avoid freezing to death, the future “Fab Four” had no choice but to stack themselves like cordwood on the back seat.

Good story to remember the next time the going gets tough for you. The breakthrough you dream about could be only one more trial away!

7.  Do the right thing even when it hurts: Paul’s whole life is a testament to doing what he sincerely believes is the right thing, even – and sometimes especially – when there’s a personal cost attached.

His tireless work on behalf of children, students, domestic animals, wildlife, the poor, disaster relief, the physically and mentally challenged – and of course, his well-known campaign against the use of land mines – is all legendary.

It takes courage to be a winner. It’ll pay to remember that next time you’re faced with tough choices.

8.  Never let the bastards grind you down: It’s no secret that Paul went through a slump after leaving The Beatles. Critics panned many of his first solo recordings. Sales cratered. It wasn’t the first time that persistence had paid off for Paul. The first song he ever wrote, “I Lost My Little Girl,” wasn’t much to listen to. Lots of guys would have just figured, “Well, I’m certainly no song writer!”

The second song he wrote was “When I’m Sixty-Four” – and of course, it turned out to be a classic.

Moral: As Churchill said, “Never give up. Never, never, never, never give up.”

9. Cherish your sense of wonder, humility and gratitude: Sometimes; it seems as though nobody is more amazed at his success than Paul himself is.  As success comes to you, it is so easy to be seduced by the voices – both external and internal – that tell you that you somehow deserve it. That you’re somehow special. Trust me. You don’t. You aren’t….be childlike. Be amazed. And thankful. And eager to help others find their success as well.

10. Over-deliver: Paul’s career has spanned more than a half-century. He turned 68…on June 18. – and yet,  this amazing man will sing his arse off for us for up to three hours straight.

Now think: What do you suppose the net effect of a life lived in over-deliver mode might be?

11. Be a lover: If Paul is known for anything personally, it’s for being, as one journalist put it, “obscenely nice.” Unlike many celebrities who espouse lofty humanitarian ideals but treat the people around them like lesser beings, Paul seems to genuinely respect, care about and even love the folks who work with him.

12. Look for opportunities to fall in love with people – to experience everyone you meet on the deepest level possible. The relationships you have are the only kind of wealth that matters.

And besides: It’s just good Karma. After all – in the end, the love you take really is equal to the love you make.

Wishing you wild success!

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Filed under: Personal Development

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