An Extra Hour - Joseph Mattappally

A reporter once asked the CEO of a fast flourishing company in USA, ”Sir, What is the secret of your success?” “Two words.” “And, Sir, what are they?” “Right decisions.” “And how do you make right decisions?” “One word.” “And, sir, What is that?” “Experience.” “And how do you get Experience?” “Two words” “And, Sir, what are they?” “Wrong decisions.” I admit that this CEO has struck right at the crux of the problem. Still, between wrong decisions and right experiences, certainly there is one more critical factor – right knowledge. It is to this right knowledge that experiences blossom into. Many believe that right knowledge and clear success are assigned only to a choice group. Here, the social culture which is too interwoven with heavy religious dogmatism is the culprit, at least in India. The followers of almost all religions have unknowingly programmed themselves with a software that always keep telling that you are destined to the tides of destiny, where from God only can save you.I’m of the opinion that none of you are too late to try a different strategy to assured success. 

Hear the story of Jim Cathcart. Jim Cathcart is now one of the best known and most award-winning motivational speakers in the business world. Till date, he has delivered nearly 3,000 presentations spread to every state of the US, most provinces of Canada and countries from Scotland to Singapore. I’m not talking about a born big guy but an average human being who began with no much education, who has worked in warehouses, driven trucks, sold donuts door to door, been a bank teller, played guitar in night clubs and beer pubs, and sold motorcycles.In 1972, Jim Cathcart was working at the Little Rock, Arkansas Housing Authority, making a meager earning of $525 a month. 

One morning, he was sitting in his office listening to the radio, to a program called ‘Our Changing World’ by Earl Nightingale, who was then known as ‘the Dean of Personal Motivation’. That day, Nightingale, in his booming voice, said something that changed Jim's life forever: "If you will spend an extra hour each day in study of your chosen field, you will be a national expert in that field in five years or less." Jim was stunned, but the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Although he had never given a speech, he had always wanted to help people grow in areas of personal development and motivation. He began reading books and listening to tapes whenever he could. He also started exercising, became better organized, and joined a self-improvement study group. He persisted through weeks of temptations to quit, just by doing a little more each day to further his goal. Within six months he had learned more than he had in his few years of college, and he began to believe he could turn his goal of becoming a motivational speaker into reality. All the hard work, the discipline, and study paid off. Jim has proved how powerful knowledge and experience are and the possibilities of an hour each day. Hai loving friend, won’t you give a try? Just an hour each day might make you the master of many. Also remember that ‘now’ is the right time to begin.

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