Samuel Johnson grew up poor and handicapped in 18th Century England. He was also brilliant and determined to be independent. Son of a bookseller, Johnson was a voracious reader.
While attending Oxford, young Samuel was mortified when a fellow student left a pair of shoes on the doorstep one night after noticing the condition of his tattered shoes. He dropped out of Oxford after a year, unable to pay his tuition.
Johnson started a teaching career. Lacking a degree, and with physical handicaps that made him a target for children’s disrespect, he was not successful.
So he turned to writing where his career finally blossomed. Johnson was a prolific writer, creating a dictionary, poems, sermons, books, and political essays. Today he is the second most frequently quoted person in the English-speaking world, second only to Shakespeare.
What does this story have to do with you?
At first glance, nothing.
Look a little deeper into his writings and you’ll find this quote:
“To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition.”
Bam. Kind of hits you right between the eyes doesn’t it?
At this time of year when we are rushing around with holiday preparations, looking back at 2008 and beating ourselves up for all the things we did or did not do, those twelve words put it all into perspective.
Ponder this on a winter’s night:
* Are you happy at home?
* How can you mark and celebrate the richness of your home life?
* In what ways does your business support your home life or subtract from it?
* What are you going to do to enhance your happiness at home?
As you wind up 2008 and look ahead to 2009, use these words to create what really matters in your life and your business. Do the same for your readers.
“To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition.”
Samuel Johnson
Raise your glass with me in celebration of all the little things that make home feel like home.
Want to create a successful book? Free monthly author training calls with successful authors at http://www.SparkforAuthors.com. Lynne Klippel is a publisher, best-selling author and book coach who specializes in helping authors write great non-fiction books and use them to build their business and profits.
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