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<strong>The</strong> Power of the Platform - Speakers on Life<br />

By contrast, my older sister has ignored our<br />

mother’s legacy. She has chosen to live a<br />

miserable, unhappy life. She chooses to focus<br />

on the negative and is upset that her mother<br />

is not <strong>here</strong> to help her. She is a prisoner of her<br />

choices and fears; she lives her life as a victim,<br />

without joy or purpose. She has chosen to<br />

merely survive, instead of reaching out to win.<br />

Be Coachable; Learn From Mistakes<br />

Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, take<br />

feedback as an opportunity to grow. Upon<br />

graduating from college with my master’s<br />

degree, I was hired as the general manager<br />

of an entertainment operation in Branson,<br />

Missouri. My boss was a friend and mentor.<br />

After a few months, he met with me and laid<br />

out the behavior he expected. Because I had<br />

been taught to take personal responsibility, I<br />

was not upset with my boss nor did I feel I was<br />

being treated unfairly. <strong>The</strong> choice was easy;<br />

I wanted to succeed so I made the necessary<br />

changes. Within six months I was promoted to<br />

Vice President of Operations. I was just twentyseven<br />

years old.<br />

Learning the Hard Way<br />

I haven’t always made great decisions, but I<br />

always accept responsibility and learn from<br />

my mistakes. At one point, I started a business<br />

without having done my due diligence or<br />

consulting my wife, who was against the idea.<br />

Four years later, we had depleted our savings<br />

and our home was in foreclosure. In the end,<br />

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