Maximizing Your Potential Clarifying Your Life’s Vision

By Paul Karasik

So Jobs sold his Volkswagon and Wozniak sold his scientific calculator, and with the $1,300 that gave them, they formed Apple Computers. The company was named Apple in memory of a happy summer Jobs had spent working in an orchard. The rest is history. By all accounts Steve Jobs is a visionary, and spurred on by that vision, he built a successful computer company. But Jobs soon discovered that if his vision was to reach fruition they needed greater management expertise. So Jobs approached John Sculley, then president of PepsiCo. There was absolutely no reason why Sculley should leave a highly paid position in a world-leading company verything in life happens twice, The Digital Revolution to go work with a bunch of computer first in your mind and then in the Began with Vision nerds in a fledgling industry. Not Eexternal world. Visioning is the unsurprisingly he turned Jobs down. The revolution was brought to us creative process of imagining; seeing But Jobs wouldn’t take no for an in large part by Steve Jobs, the the unseen before it can be seen. It answer. He approached Sculley again. co-founder of Apple Computers. is a power every person possesses Again Sculley turned him down. and exercises, either consciously or Jobs was just 21 when he and unconsciously. Steve Wozniak invented the Apple In a last-ditch effort, Jobs passionately computer. Until then computers were presented his visionary ideas to It’s importance in the scheme of life a monstrous mass of vacuum tubes Sculley and he asked Sculley a and leadership was clearly defined which took up whole rooms. The two question that forced him to accept. by Albert Einstein when he said, Steves managed to take that mass of The question was this: “Do you want “Imagination is more important than tubes and incorporate them inside a to spend the rest of your life selling knowledge. Logic will take you from box small enough to sit on a desk. sugared water or do you want a chance A to B. Imagination will take you to change the world?” everywhere.” Jobs and Wozniak offered their invention to Atari. They weren’t Indeed, Jobs and Sculley did change “Doers” are a commodity and easy to interested in big bucks – all they the world. replace, but visionaries are priceless. wanted was a salary and the Innovators like Steve Jobs are ultimate • Visionaries see, dream, and opportunity to continue their work. visionaries. They have the imagination imagine possibilities. Atari knocked them back. They and vision that others lack. Vision is • Second, they communicate their offered it to Hewlett-Packard, but seeing the future before it is manifest. Hewlett-Packard knocked them back. vision. The very air the individuals in It seemed Jobs and Wozniak alone • Third, they invite others to co- companies like Apple breathe is could see the possibilities. create. filled with aliveness, curiosity and

1783602 | 8/5/2022 openness. There is no shortage deli throughout most of his 20s, and put on the table, the highest amount of motivation and commitment in before “Rocky” made him a star, was ever offered for a script. Despite these companies. Manifesting the so broke that he was forced to sell his having just $106 in the bank, Stallone vision becomes a source of meaning wife’s jewelry, to sell his dog (to which wouldn’t give up. and personal satisfaction. Visions he was so attached he was in tears) “I knew that if I took the money I’d are the blueprint for all noteworthy for $25, and ended up living in a bus regret it for the rest of my life,” said accomplishments. shelter. Stallone. “And the picture was about Rocky and Sylvester Were His break came when he went to a taking that golden shot when you boxing match in which an unknown finally get it.” Visionaries underdog, Chuck Wepner, took the The studio eventually gave in, buying Sylvester Stallone shot to fame in the world champion Muhammed Ali to the script for $35,000, with Stallone movie “Rocky.” But Stallone’s own 15 rounds. Stallone went home and to work as a writer without a fee and story is a reflection of the character in three days wrote the first draft of as an actor for award wages. Stallone he plays. His slurred speech and “Rocky.” got the lead role and the movie was snarling look are the result of a facial When he started hawking it around reduced to low budget production. nerve that was severed during his to the studios there was immediate birth and his early years were spent The rest is history. “Rocky” was a interest. They saw the script as a bouncing between foster families in massive hit and won an Oscar for best great vehicle for a big star – names the infamous Hell’s Kitchen area. An picture, and Stallone became a star. such as Robert Redford and Burt outcast at school thanks to his facial Sylvester Stallone and the character Reynolds were thrown around – and deformities, he was sent to a high he created had clear visions for what offered to buy the script. But Stallone school for troubled kids and voted they wanted to create. wasn’t selling, not unless he was given “most likely to end up in the electric the lead. With a clear vision of the change chair.” you would like to manifest, anything The studios kept offering more, on After school Stallone went to is possible. It is with a 100% the condition Stallone didn’t act beauty college, but left to turn his commitment to the vision that all in the movie. Each time Stallone attention to acting. He didn’t meet visions become realities. refused, even when $325,000 was with much success. He worked at a

Paul Karasik is one of America’s leading sales and management consultants. He is the president of The Business Institute, a sales and management training and consulting organization, and has spent 18 years helping America’s business professionals achieve their goals. He is the author of numerous business books, the most recent of which are "Brilliant Thoughts" and "How to Market to High-Net-Worth Households." He is a frequent speaker and seminar leader at management conferences and advanced sales and marketing programs both nationally and internationally. Paul is the founder and president of the American Seminar Leaders Association.

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