Hey Son,

I just spent a couple of hours working on cleaning up your car and all I could think about is whether or not we gave you enough advise and tools to be successful in your future.  I thought I would try to take a few minutes each week to make a few notes on my ideas of what it takes to be successful in life.  Over the last few years I feel like I’ve struggled in being able to have good conversations with you, without it turning into some kind of a fight.  I have enjoyed the last few weeks though.

I guess the first thing is to determine what does a successful life mean?  This alone could take up more than a whole letter. While there are hundreds of ideas of success, I think the best approach to self improvement, is to focus on one area at a time.

As you know, I think the most important area to work on is your faith, spirituality and relationship with God.  However, this is likely the most difficult area at your age.

Try to remember that your goal is to be a businessman going to college.  Don’t wait to get out of college to become a businessman.  Regardless of whether you go to work for someone or if you start your own business, in order to be successful, you need to be organized.  So lets start it easy.  Organization.  About 30 years ago, I never bought expensive sunglasses.  The reason was that I was always saying to myself…  “I always loose my sun glasses”.  Why would I pay a whole lot for sun glasses if I am pre-planning to loose them.  The answer was to personally make the decision to be organized.  Say it to yourself every day…. “I am extremely organized”.  Now I know that by looking at my office, it may appear that I am not organized, but I really do know where most every thing is.  A few years after that, I was always loosing my car keys.  I also made the decision that “I always remember where I put things”.  Sure over the years I’ve misplaced 1 or 2 things, but in general, I never loose anything.

OK… so what can you do to start getting organized

Use file folders for everything.
Create File folders in your e-mail system
Have a standard place where you put your wallet and keys every time
Have a place for everything
Put every thing back where it belongs
Use 1 and only 1 to-do list
Touch any paper only once
Remind yourself every day that you are organized
 
I know that that I may not have been the best example on every item on this list, but I was more organized than my Dad was.  I hope you are more organized than I am.

I hope you are having fun and my prayer for you is to make yourself proud.

Love Dad