Amazing Life Lessons You Can Learn From Albert Einstein: Part Deux

1. Devote Your Life to a Cause
   
   

   “Only one who devotes himself to a cause with his whole strength and soul can be a true master. For this reason mastery demands all of a person.”

   
   Success requires all that you are, or as Walter Cronkite so eloquently put it, “I can’t imagine a person becoming a success who doesn’t give this game of life everything he’s got.” To succeed, to become a master, will require all that you are. Are you giving your all?
2. Great People Will Always Encounter Great Opposition
   
   

   “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.”

   
   With success comes opposition, there will always be resistance to greatness. Zig Ziglar said, “Little men, with little minds, and little imaginations, go through life in little ruts, smugly resisting all changes which would jar their little worlds.” Never let “little men” stop you from achieving your dreams. Know that great spirits have always encountered great opposition.
3. Make a Decision to See the World as Friendly
   
   “The most important decision we ever make is whether we believe we live in a friendly universe or a hostile universe.”
   
   Your perception becomes your reality. If you believe the world is plotting to do you “good,” than it is. If you believe the world is plotting to do you harm, than it is. Wayne Dyer said, “When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Make the choice to see the world as friendly?
4. Character Trumps Intellect
   
   

   “Most people say that is it is the intellect which makes a great scientist. They are wrong: it is character.” 

   
   Your character determines how far you go in this lifetime, so work on your character; work on being the person you want people to perceive you to be. Work on your attitude, Einstein said, “Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character,” and without character, success has no value.
5. Never Ever Stop Learning
   
   

   “Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.”

   
   Never stop learning, when you’re not learning, you’re not growing; when you’re not growing, you’re dying. Always ask questions; always look for better ways to get things done. Einstein said, “He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice.”
6. Change the Way You Think
   
   

   “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.”

   
   The only way to conquer a problem is to grow bigger than the problem. You must become a “bigger” person. You must change the way you perceive things. This is why reading is so important; reading expands your mind to new levels, it increases your consciousness and your likelihood for success. Learn to cultivate the joy of reading, readers are leaders!
7. Serve the World
   
   

   “The high destiny of the individual is to serve rather than to rule. The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.”

   
   Einstein said, “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” Let me encourage you to live your life in service to others, in service to your spouse, your children, your community, and your world. Your greatest success will come from your service to others.