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"Soutwest Airlines was founded" in 1974 by Herb Kelleher with the simple goal of focusing on two things: hiring the best people and offering the best prices. His start-up airline has become legendary in the airline industry. Thirty years later, the market value of Southwest Airlines is now worth more than the next five airlines combined. I fly Southwest occasionally, and when someone mentions the name, I immediately think of enthusiastic employees who make work fun…fun for their customers, and fun for themselves. Of course, I'm not suggesting that having fun is the only reason for their success. They've made many other right decisions along the way. However, by building a culture around having fun and respecting one another, they have been able to attract great people who love serving their customers.

Not long ago, I flew Southwest and the flight attendant announced, "I'm pleased to say we have a 99-year-old gentleman on board today. He's celebrating his birthday and this is the first time he's ever flown." Well, as you might imagine a light round of applause broke out. Then she said, "On the way out stop by the cockpit and wish him happy birthday." The cabin exploded with laughter.

Dan Zadra, the president of Compendium, is a friend of mine. He has his own theory about Southwest that came straight from Sheila, a flight attendant who he met on a trip from Seattle to Phoenix. Dan watched Sheila move with boundless energy to calm a crying child, plump an old man's pillow, trade jokes with the passengers, and answer questions in English, Spanish, and Japanese.

At one point, Sheila spilled an apron full of pretzels in the aisle, and Dan instinctively moved to help her. She said, "That's okay, Dan, it's my turn." Dan then said, "How did you know my name, and what do you mean it's your turn? I haven't done anything yet."

Sheila smiled and answered, "I saw your name when I took your ticket. I always try to remember my passengers' names. It's polite. And taking turns is something I live by. I believe we all take turns serving each other in life. Right now, it's my turn to serve you, and I want you to really enjoy yourself on my flight. Someday, you may have the chance to serve me or my daughter or my dad. And when it's your turn I'm sure you'll do a great job.

Success doesn't happen by accident. It starts with unwavering commitment from the leaders to build a dedicated team of passionate people who serve their boss: the customer.

"If you chase two rabbits both will escape." In eight words this Chinese proverb captures the essence of focus. In business and in life, there is a natural tendency to think, "more is better," but I have to tell you that most of the time the opposite is true. To accomplish "more" we need to focus on "less." It's really that simple: focusing on your priorities can be key to your success in business and in life.

At Successories in 1997, I learned about the power of focus the hard way. I didn't focus – and I paid the price. Golf was the hot sport because Tiger Woods had just come on the scene. We decided to purchase a small catalog company called British Links, a leader in golf art and golf gifts. The logic was simple: (1) we understood the specialty catalog business and (2) we understood the wall décor/framing business. Successories had become one of the largest framers in the country and half of the British Links' sales were from framed wall décor. Therefore, we could leverage our expertise and economies of scale to make it work. It looked absolutely great on paper! (There's a book in there somewhere...927 Reasons Why Things Look Great On Paper, But Won't Work. I know lots of friends who could help me write it.)

I won't bore you with the details of why this venture flopped, but within three years we sold the golf company for next to nothing. However, the most devastating part of the deal was not the money we lost from the sale of British Links, but the momentum we had lost growing Successories, our core business.

In hindsight, I was an idiot! It was like Ray Kroc after opening twenty McDonald's locations saying...it's time to get into the pizza business. He didn't, of course. He kept his eye on hamburgers and fries and made McDonalds the largest restaurant chain in the world. Many other businesses – like Starbucks and FedEx – also focused their way to success.

But remember this: Focus is not a "business only" thing. Each person has only twenty-four hours per day, and how we spend those hours shows what's important in our lives. The question we must ask ourselves is...Are we focusing on what really matters?"

August 1992. Derrick Redmond from Great Britain was favored to win the 400-meter race during the summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, but as he powered around the backstretch his hamstring snapped. Derrick tried desperately to finish the race, but he still had half the distance to go. Because he couldn't walk, he began to hop. One step – a grimace. Two steps – a yell.

Jim Redmond had to get to his struggling son. He doesn't remember all the steps down from Section 131, Row 22, Seat 25 of the Olympic Stadium. He doesn't really remember leaping over the railing or pushing off security guards who were too stunned to stop him. He was not just a spectator at the Olympics anymore; Jim Redmond was a father, and he had to get to his son.

"Dad," Derrick said, "Dad...Get me back to lane five. I want to finish."

And leaning on each other, father and son made their way around the track as the crowd, with the whole world watching, rose to their feet cheering. Olympic Organizers can light the skies with fireworks, they can invite kings and queens...but this was the magic of real life.

That day people saw an example of great courage, but they witnessed an even greater story about love.

Love, simply stated, is the essence of life. It can put the smile on your face, the bounce in your step, and most importantly, the joy in your heart. Even when your whole world is crumbling around you, one person holding your hand, looking into your eyes, saying "I love you" is enough to get you through.

Love is to attitude as the rain is to flowers. Surround yourself with people who love you, and whom you can love back. This, more than anything else you can do, will provide the music for your life and the fuel for your soul.

Just recently a friend included a wonderful poem by Robert Ward in her letter to me. I hope you like it as much as I did.

I wish you the courage to be warm when the world
Would prefer that you be cool.
I wish you successes sufficient to your needs;
I wish you failure to temper that success.
I wish you joy in all your days; I wish you sadness
So that you may better measure that joy.
I wish you gladness to overbalance grief.
I wish you humor and a twinkle in the eye.
I wish you glory and the strength to bear its burdens.
I wish you sunshine on your path and storms to season
Your journey.
I wish you peace in the world in which you live and in the
Smallest corner of the heart where truth is kept.
I wish you faith to help define your living and your life.
More I cannot wish you, except perhaps love, to make
All the rest worthwhile.

Life can be difficult. Things don't always go as planned. Finding inspiration during these times can get us back on track. Sometimes just one thought can provide the energy and courage to fight through adversity.

For me, at times, this courage comes from thinking of my personal heroes – people who accomplished great things under difficult circumstances, people who put their dreams above their fears...and won.

Four heroes inspire me every time I think of them. Three you'll know, and one you won't.

The first is Mother Teresa, who devoted her life to caring for the poorest of the poor. Second, Helen Keller had every excuse to give up on life, yet she persevered and became an inspiration to millions. The third is Abraham Lincoln, who failed in two businesses and lost six elections before becoming the greatest president of the United States.

My fourth hero is Ricky Johnson. I only met him once, back when I was a sophomore in college, but I'll never forget him.

Nothing had gone right that hot summer day in Indiana. I was selling dictionaries door-to-door, and by 11 that morning, I still hadn't sold a book, I'd gotten two people out of bed, and I'd just been bitten by a German shepherd. Not a good day!

I dejectedly knocked on the door of a large frame house and was surprised to be greeted by a big smile and an invitation to enter. After Mrs. Johnson and I chatted for a minute or so, I began showing her the book. As I gave the presentation, she would say, "I'll bet Ricky would like that feature" or "Ricky was just asking me about that word."

Soon she said, "Let's go see what Ricky thinks." I followed her back to a small room, where I saw a 13-year-old boy lying in bed. His legs were withered from polio. He looked through the dictionary and said, "Mom, I know this will help me with my school work." Then he asked me if I'd sold many books and where I went to college.

We talked for a few minutes, and then with eyes that were sparkling and a smile I will never forget, he said, "You know, Mac, I've never met anyone I didn't like. I like my teachers and my classmates...They're so good to me. They even made me a special ramp to help me get up and down the steps." His last words as I left were, "Mac, someday I'm going to college just like you – I'll guarantee it."

I drove away from Ricky's house with a lump in my throat, a tear in my eye, and a warm, wonderful feeling inside, and I went on to have my best sales day of the summer. It had taken a 13-year-old boy to make me quit feeling sorry for myself – and I've never forgotten his wonderful attitude about life.

So often we worry about what we don't have and don't spend enough time being thankful for what we do have. Most of us are very blessed, but sometimes it takes a hero to remind us.

Nothing boosts your self-confidence or nurtures your positive attitude more than a mentor. And remember this...you're never too old or too young to have one

The ability to find and benefit from a mentor is one of the key lessons to be drawn from the extraordinary life of Eleanor Roosevelt. As Robin Gerber, author of Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way explains, great mentors "will not only lead you on your future professional path but also help you to realize your full potential- spiritually, mentally, emotionally."

Eleanor did not have a happy childhood. After losing her parents at a young age, she had no one to show her any respect or affection. And because she was unattractive and lacked certain social graces, her own family members- not to mention other children- insulted and ridiculed her.

Ordinarily such a childhood would lead to a lack of self-esteem and confidence. Nothing, as we all know, was further from the truth. She was not afraid to fly in the face of convention, to do exactly as she pleased with the whole world watching. How did the shy, unattractive girl become the smiling, confident Eleanor Roosevelt?

Much of the success of this great lady has to do with another lady- a mentor she met in boarding school. Marie Souvestre was the French headmistress of the English boarding school to which Roosevelt was sent when she was 15 years old. Instead of laughing at Roosevelt, Souvestre encouraged and complimented Eleanor on her intellect, her proficiency in the French language, and her attitude toward the other girls. Slowly, Souvestre built up young Eleanor's confidence, in essence creating the young woman who later would take on the world.

Ask yourself who could make a positive difference in your life. When faced with difficult choices or challenges, to whom could you turn for guidance? The answer might not come to you immediately, and that's probably for the best. What I would suggest is that you go through your address books and make a list of candidates. List the strengths and weaknesses of each person, and rank potential mentors in the order of preference. At that point, I'd arrange a lunch with your top choice (or send a letter) to gauge their interest. You might be surprised at how flattered some people are that you asked; however, if a mentoring relationship doesn't work out, move to your second choice. I've always lived by the "nothing ventured, nothing gained" theory, and selecting a mentor is one place to put it to the test.

I also suggest you read books specifically about mentoring relationships, but for now I hope I've helped you take that first step. The right mentor can change your life in many positive ways.