Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Couple of days back, I was in Barnes and Noble South Coast where I stumbled across the book "Idea Man"- written by one of the founders of Microsoft and the right hand man of Bill Gates, Paul Allen. As the title was catchy and would like to know his thought process, I was skimming through the book. I did find some nuggets towards the end of the book.

He wrote:

    “Some people are motivated by a need for recognition, some by money, and some by a broad social goal. I start from a different place, from the love of ideas and the urge to put them into motion and see where they might lead.

    “The creative path is rocky, with the risk of failure ever present and no guarantees. But even with its detours and blind alleys, it’s the only road that I find fulfilling.”

Here’s a man who, through the ideas he pursued with Bill Gates and the value he provided, became a multi-billionaire at a very young age. And, while the money was simply a means to an end that allowed him to pursue that which he chose to pursue, it certainly wasn’t just about the money.

For Paul Allen, it was about the ideas; it was about putting them in motion; it was about seeing where they would lead.

What is it about for you? What moves you? What motivates you? What gets you up in the morning?

I think  that is the difference maker. We need to find out what motivates you.

No, not what motivates Paul Allen; it’s about what motivates YOU. It’s about what YOU will throw yourself full-force into.

Once we are clear about that,  rest of it is all history.