All success is, really, is having a predetermined plan and carrying it out successfully over a long period of time.

Direct your energy toward achieving a goal, and tackle the problems with an emphasis on edging closer to a successful result.

As you schedule individual tasks, give yourself a cushion. Mark the due date a few days ahead of the actual deadline so you have time to deal with changes or last-minute emergencies.

It's nice to be important, but more important to be nice. You don't know who your top customers will be five years from now or where you will be in 10 years. You may have a fancy title, but you will always need help from the people around you.

No company has a permanent consumer franchise. No one has the only game in town. The never-ending cycle of destruction and change inherent in a capitalist economy always provides new opportunities for those with determination, goals and concentration.

To me, job titles don't matter. Everyone is in sales. It's the only way we stay in business.

Humility is becoming a lost art, but it's not difficult to practice. It means that you realize that others have been involved in your success.