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Some people just get there faster. So what.
I just stumbled upon a brochure I was given during a mini-MBA summer program I attended at Harvard Business School two years ago. Although I'm pretty sure I won't be attending business school, I kept the ad because it was so inspiring. It was produced as part of the HBS campaign to attract younger-than-usual applicants. It read...
some people just get there faster
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAS ADMITTED TO MOREHOUSE COLLEGE AT 15.
MARY ROBINSON BECAME A PROFESSOR OF LAW AT 24.
BOBBY FISCHER ACHIEVED THE RANKING OF GRANDMASTER OF CHESS AT 15.
RONALDO WAS NAMED THE BEST SOCCER PLAYER IN THE WORLD AT 19.
MOZART PUBLISHED HIS FIRST SONATA AT 6.
STEVE JOBS CREATED THE APPLE CIRCUIT BOARD AT 20.
LUKAS FOSS RECEIVED A GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIP FOR COMPOSITION AT 23.
MICHAEL DELL FOUNDED DELL COMPUTERS AT 19.
JAMES CONLON CONDUCTED THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC AT 24.
RICHARD BRANSON BEGAN VIRGIN RECORDS AT 17.
TIGER WOODS WON ALL FOUR OF GOLF'S MAJORS BY 24.
GARRY KASPAROV BECAME THE WORLD CHESS CHAMPION AT 22.
DONALD TRUMP PURCHASED HIS FIRST HOTEL AT 27.
JOHN F. KENNEDY WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AT 43.
MARTINA HINGIS WON WIMBLEDON AT 16.
THOMAS JEFFERSON DRAFTED THE U.S. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE AT 33.
NADIA COMENECI WON AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN GYMNASTICS AT 14.
SONIA HENIE WON AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN FIGURE SKATING AT 16.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAS AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE AT 35.
MERRICK JOHNSTON SCALED MOUNT MCKINLEY AT 12.
SHAWN FANNING DEVELOPED THE ORIGINAL NAPSTER APPLICATION AT 19.
LOU GERSTNER JR. BECAME A PARTNER AT MCKINSEY & CO. AT 28.
SAVION GLOVER EARNED A TONY NOMINATION AT 16.
WALT DISNEY INTRODUCED THE WORLD TO ANIMATED FILM AT 27.
HARRY CONNICK JR. BEGAN WORKING CLUBS IN THE FRENCH QUARTER AT 10.
ALBERT EINSTEIN HAD DEVELOPED THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY BY 28.
BOB MATHIAS WON AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN THE DECATHLON AT 17.
WAYNE GRETZKY WON THE NHL'S HART TROPHY AT 18.
LANCE ARMSTRONG WON CYCLING'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP AT 20.
LIBERACE WAS A CONCERT PIANIST AT 13.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FOUNDED THE FIRST U.S. PUBLIC LIBRARY AT 25.
STEVE CAUTHEN RODE TO HORSE RACING'S TRIPLE CROWN AT 18.
JUAN TRIPPE FOUNDED PAN AM AT 28.
JANE AUSTEN WROTE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND SENSE AND SENSIBILITY BEFORE SHE WAS 22.
MAYA LIN DESIGNED THE U.S. VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL AT 21.
JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE BECAME VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AT 36.
---
No doubt that list of earlybirds is inspiring. But some folks with great potential run into problems because they start drawing not inspiration but discouragement from a list like that, especially when their personal panic numbers (25, 30, 40, etc.) appear on their birthday cards.
They think "If I haven't done it by now, it's impossible." And if they waste their time thinking that way, they probably are sealing their destiny, day after day, year after year.
Sadly, they've got it all wrong. The power isn't in doing your thing before someone else did theirs. The power is in doing your thing at all. Anytime. Now.
As Joe Pesci's character Simon in the movie With Honors said, "Winners forget they're in a race. They just love to run." Ben Franklin, Jane Austen, Martin Luther the King, Forrest Gump...they just loved to run. We made up their races later.
To help you start running and leave the storytelling to some ad guy in the future, I've revised the HBS brochure just a bit.
some people just get there faster. but they didn't care and neither should you. because no matter your age, kicking ass leaves a mark.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAS ADMITTED TO MOREHOUSE COLLEGE.
MARY ROBINSON BECAME A PROFESSOR OF LAW.
BOBBY FISCHER ACHIEVED THE RANKING OF GRANDMASTER OF CHESS.
RONALDO WAS NAMED THE BEST SOCCER PLAYER IN THE WORLD.
MOZART PUBLISHED HIS FIRST SONATA.
STEVE JOBS CREATED THE APPLE CIRCUIT BOARD.
LUKAS FOSS RECEIVED A GUGGENHEIM FELLOWSHIP FOR COMPOSITION.
MICHAEL DELL FOUNDED DELL COMPUTERS.
JAMES CONLON CONDUCTED THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC.
RICHARD BRANSON BEGAN VIRGIN RECORDS.
TIGER WOODS WON ALL FOUR OF GOLF'S MAJORS.
GARRY KASPAROV BECAME THE WORLD CHESS CHAMPION.
DONALD TRUMP PURCHASED HIS FIRST HOTEL.
JOHN F. KENNEDY WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
MARTINA HINGIS WON WIMBLEDON.
THOMAS JEFFERSON DRAFTED THE U.S. DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.
NADIA COMENECI WON AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN GYMNASTICS.
SONIA HENIE WON AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN FIGURE SKATING.
MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. WAS AWARDED THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE.
MERRICK JOHNSTON SCALED MOUNT MCKINLEY.
SHAWN FANNING DEVELOPED THE ORIGINAL NAPSTER APPLICATION.
LOU GERSTNER JR. BECAME A PARTNER AT MCKINSEY & CO.
SAVION GLOVER EARNED A TONY NOMINATION.
WALT DISNEY INTRODUCED THE WORLD TO ANIMATED FILM.
HARRY CONNICK JR. BEGAN WORKING CLUBS IN THE FRENCH QUARTER.
ALBERT EINSTEIN DEVELOPED THE THEORY OF RELATIVITY.
BOB MATHIAS WON AN OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL IN THE DECATHLON.
WAYNE GRETZKY WON THE NHL'S HART TROPHY.
LANCE ARMSTRONG WON CYCLING'S WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP.
LIBERACE WAS A CONCERT PIANIST.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN FOUNDED THE FIRST U.S. PUBLIC LIBRARY.
STEVE CAUTHEN RODE TO HORSE RACING'S TRIPLE CROWN.
JUAN TRIPPE FOUNDED PAN AM.
JANE AUSTEN WROTE PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND SENSE AND SENSIBILITY.
MAYA LIN DESIGNED THE U.S. VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL.
JOHN C. BRECKINRIDGE BECAME VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.
Posted by Ian Ybarra on 13 July 2005
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