January / February 2012 Volume 1 | Page 15

What about you? Do you have a dream job you are working toward? Minaj’s story is not unlike so many other successful people’s story. You just have to be persistent, focused, and determined. Most importantly you have to work on building a foundation within your life upon which success can grow. You may not like the job you are currently in, or you may not be working at all. However, if you give in to the grind of a job or the stresses of daily life and stop doing the things that need done now to ensure your future success, your dream will never be fulfilled. Minaj said, “I remember thinking, ‘I don’t know if this is ever going (to) work but I’m going to give it one final try.’”. She’s living her dream because she didn’t give up and did the hard work needed to prepare herself for the day it was her turn to succeed. The Flywheel Lesson In Good To Great author Jim Collins uses the analogy of a flywheel: “The additive effect of many small initiatives; they act on each other like compound interest.” A flywheel takes great effort to get it to move from a standstill and to completing one full spin. However, when it spins around one time you don’t stop pushing. You keep pushing at it with everything you’ve got. Now, you have the benefit of the momentum you built with that first spin in addition to your continued pushing. Sure, the momentum from the first spin is small, but now what if you gained a little bit more momentum with each spin? Soon, your flywheel will be buzzing around at lightning speed! The same principle is true with your own life or career development. Small, positive actions you take every day build momentum. While each action by itself may even seem insignificant, their cumulative effect is what will allow your dream career to come to fruition. What can you do today to bring you one step closer to your dream? TQR Let’s Take A Break! Martin Luther King Day is January 16, 2012 At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. When notified of his selection, he announced that he would turn over the prize money of $54,123 to the furtherance of the civil rights movement. The Quarter Roll Jan./Feb. 2012 11