Smell the Roses on the Path to Success
by Donald J. Trump
Chairman, Trump University

Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.

-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

One thing I’ve learned about life is that it is a series of discoveries. It starts with discoveries and, hopefully, it continues that way. Remember how exciting it was to learn to ride a bike? Have you ever watched a child taking her first steps? It’s a momentous occasion. If we can capture that kind of excitement every day, I think we’re on our way to wisdom.

Albert Einstein said “The mind that opens to a new idea never comes back to its original size.” I agree. Once you’ve learned to walk, why would you want to go back to crawling around? It wouldn’t make sense. We all have a purpose in life, and that’s to do our best, to live up to our potential.

It’s really pretty simple. All we have to do is tune in to our talents and capabilities. Remember, I didn’t say it was easy, I said it was simple. Sometimes we get so distracted that it’s hard to tune out enough to be able to tune in at all. We are bombarded by outside information all day. The challenge here is to find the quiet time to be able to assimilate our own inside information in the midst of all the cacophony. You have to unplug before you can plug yourself back in.

I’m a busy guy but I set aside quiet time every morning and every evening to keep my equilibrium centered on my own path. I don’t like being swayed by anything that might be negative or damaging. When Emerson talks about leaving a trail, he’s right. You won't succeed by following someone else’s path. So, you’d better spend some time focusing on your own path and your own purpose.

This is a serious issue for worldly as well as personal reasons. The worst things in history have happened when people stop thinking for themselves, especially when they allow themselves to be influenced by negative people. That’s what gives rise to dictators. Avoid that at all costs. Stop it first on a personal level, and you will have contributed to world sanity as well as your own.

In business, I’ve discovered that my purpose is to do my best to my utmost ability every day. That’s my standard. I learned early in my life that I had high standards. Ever hear of intrinsic value? Intrinsic means basic, inborn, elemental. If you have an intrinsic value, it cannot be shaken or taken away. It’s a form of strength that can be indomitable.

Discovery means finding out something we didn’t previously know. Purpose is an intention or an end to be attained. We have the tangible and the intangible in life. Let them balance each other out to your best advantage. I may be in a reality-based business, but I have a sense of the mystery in life that keeps me feeling like an explorer. Don’t put blinders or borders on yourself.

I could have very easily dismissed Mark Burnett’s idea for The Apprentice simply based on the fact that I was already very busy. I didn’t need the publicity, the money, or another venture to keep me going. But it was a new challenge, and a new discovery for me. It served a part of my nature, which is that of an educator. Trump University has been a natural progression from there. I haven’t limited myself, although it may have been easier for me to do so.

Finding your purpose may be a lifelong pursuit or you may have discovered it when you were 5 years old. There’s no absolute timeline for anyone. That’s a good reason never to give up, to keep on discovering things every day. It’s also a terrific recipe for a successful life. Following your own path will bring you to the places you were meant to be. Expand your horizons! In other words, think big and live large!