Great Century, by George - Goal Setting Article

By:Sean North

George Burns’ career could have ended as early as 1958, when his wife Gracie Allen retired from Show business. Burns continued the show after Allen retired, but the show was cancelled after one season. Burns could have let his wife’s retirement from show business stop him from going further in his career, but he ultimately ended up being a huge comic success and lived to be 100 years old.

Many of Burns’ biggest successes came when he was in his eighties and nineties. At the ages when many people have long since retired, Burns was enjoying great success. Getting older does have great advantages: we become smarter; we acquire wisdom; we have acquired more skills.

1. Burns struggled as a vaudeville straight man for years until he met Gracie

There was a chemistry that Burns and Allen had when they created their comic duo. For eight years, Burns played the straight man and Allen played the funny lady. The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show was a tremendous success on CBS. They made a dynamic team.

The same concept could apply to our careers. A lot of us have held many jobs and in those positions, there were probably people whom we loved to work with and those whom we did not. Like Burns when he was struggling in vaudeville, our present job or career may not exactly be what we want to do, but we do get opportunities to meet people who know other people and so forth.

2. For 17 years (1958 to 1975), Burns had very minimal success

Many of us may think of George Burns as a great comic success, which he was. But for about 17 years, Burns had very subpar performances compared to the show that he did with Gracie. Gracie Allen died in 1964 and Burns attempted two television shows, one with Connie Stevens, but both shows were cancelled after the first season. Burns encountered another celebrity death when Jack Benny died in 1975. Burns was offered Benny’s role in the comedy film, The Sunshine Boys, and had great success. After a 17-year drought, Burns was back! The success of The Sunshine Boys led to Burns’ role in Oh God!, which was also a tremendous success.

How many of us get frustrated at struggling for six months to a year? How many of us would have given up after 17 years of subpar success that Burns endured? Burns showed us that getting older is getting better.

3. Burns had over a dozen television specials after 1975

Burns’ revitalized movie success in 1975 spurred resurgence in television success that he had not had since doing shows with Gracie. Burns was now playing the funny person, the role that Grace played when he was playing the straight man. Burns was now a movie and television success.

We never know what may happen when we take our experience from our own careers and apply them to new positions or careers. The skills and education we learn from other jobs may help us to get the career that we are really looking for. Any skill that we can learn should not be discounted.

Burns proved that one is never too old to do a great job. He had revitalization in entertainment in spite of Gracie’s retirement and death. Burns did not let the loss of Gracie deter him from making a name for himself. If any of us catch ourselves giving up or saying things like “I’m too old for…,” think of George Burns.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: Persistence, Motivation, Inspiration, Peseverence, Careers, Leadership

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Sean North primarily helps writers gain focus, motivation, remove mental blocks that help to unblock the writing process. EVERYONE who writes has been stuck at some point in his or her career. You do not have to accept these mind-boggling roadblocks!

seannorthstn@aol.com

(586) 216-7516

Top Goal Setting Articles
1). One Minute Guide To Achieving Anything By : Russ Dalbey One Minute Guide To Achieving Anything
2). How Persistence and Perserverance Can Keep You From Achieving Your Goals By : Royane Real How Persistence and Perserverance Can Keep You From Achieving Your Goals
3). INDIVIDUALIZED POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS FOR IMPROVING SELF-ESTEEM By : Dr Harry Henshaw Positive self-esteem is very important if not crucial to our happiness and well being as a human being. Having positive self-esteem can make the difference in that which we take on in life, in that which we go about achieving and creating. Having positive self- esteem also allows us to have healthy and joyous relationships with others, to experience true intimacy.
4). Success - The Psychic Component By : Zach Keyer Psychic Energy and Invincible Determination - Your Keys to Success
5). Personal Development & Success - "Creating the Motivation You Need" By : Jeffrey Miller One of the most common beliefs that can prevent someone from achieving the success being sought is that "action only happens through motivation" - that, one must wait around for the so-called "feeling to move me" before anything will be accomplished. But, once we understand how we operate, once we discover the secret...
6). Blast Through Barriers to your Goals By : Kimberly Dawn Wells One of the reasons we do not face our goals is because when we are faced with an unexpected barrier that we're unsure how to deal with, we shut down. We become discouraged, we start making excuses, and we allow ourselves to back off of our original plan. While this is a human and natural tendency, it's not conducive to success. An important step that you can take to avoid this barrier blunder is that of carefully planning your goal to include backup plans for all those little "what ifs.
7). How to be the Most Memorable Person at Networking Events By : Charles Burke Most of the people I hear from hate networking. They go only because they know they "should," but it's like pulling teeth for them. If you've experienced the usual clammy grip of fear when it's your time to introduce yourself, the following may help you feel more at home, make deeper, more lasting impressions, and attract voluntary referrals from many of the other attendees.
8). How To Stop Living Your Life On Autopilot By : GirlShrink If you find yourself doing the same routine day after day, never remembering what you did the day before, having nothing to look forward to, living your life - but never enjoying it or anything in it...you are probably living your life and the relationships in it on autopilot. The really devastating part about living life on autopilot, especially when it comes to your relationships, is that you don't even know that you're doing it half the time.
9). Focus On Your Goals Without Envying Others By : John Watson Many of us waste too much time envying others instead of getting on with our own goals and dreams. This is stupid to put it mildly. For a start, we would probably not envy others if we knew what their lives were really like. Many young men envied and still envy Evis Presley but who wants to die sad, disillusioned and divorced at the age of 42? Billy Connolly, the great Scottish comedian who now lives in California, tells an amusing story about misguided envy: In World War I two men were squatting side by side over the only toilet available.
10). Energy Boosters By : Steve Gillman I needed to learn about energy boosters. Fatigue and a lack of energy have been problems for all my life. In an effort to find out why, I've asked doctors, read books, and finally decided that some questions just won't be answered in my lifetime. Fortunately, I've also learned that even without discovering the root causes of my tiredness, there are things I can do to alleviate it.

New Goal Setting Articles
1). Values - Your Own Personal Guidance System - Part 1 By : Garry Zancanaro If your goals are not compatible with your values and overall philosophy on life, you are likely to or spend a lot of time going backwards and forwards, or around in circles, achieving little. You are also likely to create inner conflict and imbalance, and to become frustrated and disillusioned with the whole idea of setting goals.
2). 10 Ways to Actually Achieve the Goals You Set By : Terence Young Goals. You know you have them. Everyone has areas in his or her life that they would like to change. Whether your goals are written neatly in bound journals or just drifting around in your head, you can achieve those goals. Just how, though, can you make them a reality?
3). Plan for Success is the Way to Success By : Mitch Johnson One of the things to keep yourself motivated is giving yourself a reward once your works are accomplished. Once you are well with it, it is time to make a plan to the glory. In this article you will learn some advantage on how to make yourself a plan.
4). Goal Setting As A Means Of Self Improvement By : Bill Urell Before anyone can begin goal setting for self improvement, he must determine what it is about himself that he would like to change and for what reason.
5). How to Manifest Reality By : Jimmy Roos AutoResponder: how-to-manifest-reality@i3i.info So you want to know how to manifest reality, right? Actually you're already doing it. You're creating reality every second of every minute of every hour of every day. But I suspect you don't like what you are creating. And you know why? Its because you're creating by default. What do I mean by that. What I mean is this.
6). How Do I Manifest My Desires By : Jimmy Roos AutoResponder: how-do-i-manifest@i3i.info If you are asking the question how do I manifest, then read this. Learning to manifest your desires is similar to learning to swim. So how is swimming similar to manifesting? Both manifesting and swimming requires total trust, i.e. letting go. In the case of manifesting, you need to let go of your need to control the outcome and trust that you shall receive that which you seek.
7). The Promised Land By : Jimmy Roos When the Israelites heard that God was going to take them to the promised land they were excited as I'm sure you would be too. The road to the promised land however turned out not to be, what they expected. They expected to be taken there speedily and in comfort, but instead the road took them through the desert and they endured all kinds of hardships.
8). Desire, Fuel for success: How to Keep it Alive and Burning Strong By : Jimmy Roos What is it that makes one man go where others don't dare tread? And that keeps him going even when the odds seem so insurmountable? When others around him expect the worst, and obstacle upon obstacle, cause him to wonder if perhaps, just perhaps, everybody might be right and he may be crazy? That my friend is what is called DESIRE! Desire is one of the strongest emotions, and one of the greatest forces man has ever known.
9). You Have a Gift, Release It By : Jimmy Roos Every person on this earth has a special gift. The gifts may not all be equal but they are all special. What is your gift? It may be singing, acting or craftsmanship. Or you may have an eye for detail, allowing you to turn an ordinary space into a wonderful haven, where people would want to spend their time. It's never too late to make a change and find a path that will allow you to be true to yourself.
10). Anything is Possible By : Jimmy Roos The other day I was reading a very interesting article concerning a shark attack that occurred way back in 1916. It played off along the North East coast of the U.S. and concerned a great white shark, that had been had been terrorizing the New Jersey beaches. Now everybody knows and accepts that a shark is a creature of the sea and needs salty water to survive.