Brutally Frank

 

Please note that the following is not intended to be a book review...

The last time I visited ‘Crossword’ book store, a very flashy title caught my eye – ‘Think Big and Kick ***** in business and life’. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the cover picture. It belonged to none other than Donald Trump, American real estate magnate and TV celebrity (‘The Apprentice’ fame). One of the review comments mentioned on the paperback was “Trump’s version of the Secret”. I was gifted with a revelation when I browsed the contents. Only a Donald Trump can be so brutally frank and realistic while writing a book meant to inspire and motivate. Jaggi Vasudev once said that a true Guru is the one who shakes up a person and drags him out of his comfort zone. This is exactly what Trump dishes out, practical wisdom and an aggressive approach to achieve one’s big dreams. ‘Attack is the best form of defense’… This seems to be Trump’s approach and he has very frankly illustrated by citing instances from his own life. These instances are about how he tasted victory in defeat and defeat in victory, how he was down but never out.

After reading the above para, many folks will surely google out info by copy pasting ‘Donald Trump’. They are sure to come across the fact that Trump is the son of a wealthy real estate developer. Upon encountering this, many a person would feel that Donald Trump had it easy. Most people have this false perception that the second and third generation business tycoons have it easy and get everything on the platter, so to say. I beg to differ, personally, even if I had to inherit a billion dollar business, I would still find it very much a pain to learn on the job from my dad. I am very certain that taking over the reins is a daunting task and not just a joyride in a Mercedes with a laptop. Vijay Mallya could capture the imagination of an entire generation and the generations to come by daring to revive a very old Kingfisher brand of beer. The brand no longer represents only a brew but an entire lifestyle which includes a domestic airline (I swear by the service). The Ambani brothers have gone ahead and truly made Reliance a very popular and recognizable brand. Innovation and not inheritance is the name of the game when it comes to these successful gen-nex tycoons.

Donald Trump admits to having his share of the limelight and fun. The following is short excerpt which I leave you with….

“People always ask me, “How did you get so rich?” The way I do things has allowed me to succeed financially far beyond what I had expected. I have had a lot of fun, and I have made a lot of money. I have known many celebrities, billionaire businesspeople, and superstar sports figures. It is not easy to explain in a couple of words, but I have noticed that all these successful people have traits that set them apart from the pack: their attitudes, actions, persistence, and passion, plus a whole slew of other qualities that separate the winners from the losers. “