Learn how to achieve greatness using abilities you already have
Feel empowered? Good – you should. Rodney Eiland asserts that his “belief is that we all have the ability to do something great”. He’s right – we do.
Chronicling his life, Eiland explains how he was raised in a loving and supportive family. He discusses the dynamic of growing up in a “pretty smart family” with a wide ancestral background, from Indigenous heritage to German heritage. Eiland touches on this history because he wants to highlight the fact that he does not believe he is the smartest person in his family. Not the smartest, not the most cultured, not necessarily the most successful – but he never cared about any of this. Eiland never let potential limitations hold him back from becoming somebody who could do something great. He knew he had the ability – so he turned a blind eye to his perceived shortfalls, including slight ADHD, and just pushed forward in life. He took risks and looked for his own success by allowing his blind ambition lead him forward. Guess what? He found it.
Just out of high school, Eiland began to sell insurance. He sold insurance for “about six months” before deciding to open his own business. Using some of the money he had saved and borrowing some money from his parents, Eiland opened his own business in the automotive accessories business. “Basically, a glass selling business is really what it was”. Yet – Eiland pushed forward, and his belief that he could do something great has led him to become very successful today. When he first opened his business, Eiland was his only employee – and he claims that “he didn’t know what in the world he was doing”. Not knowing what he was doing didn’t hold Eiland back. He allowed his ambition to lead him, he allowed “some great leaders” and “some great mentors”to lead him. His point with this story is that “it doesn’t matter where we start, it matters where we finish”.
It doesn’t matter where we start, it matters where we finish.
In working hard and believing in himself rather than perceived shortfalls, Eiland was able to eventually grow “that businesses over twenty years into one of the larger companies in the Houston area”. He buckled up and went to work – regardless of the difficulty. He said he “learned a lot along the way. [He] learned about customer service, [he] learned about sales, [he] learned about helping other people learn those things”. Eiland became somebody who didn’t look back – but rather, he looked forward. “My belief is that we all have the ability to do something great. And I know this for a fact because if I can do it – so can you.” He believed in himself and his ability to do something great, and it led him to do something great. As Eiland said, “it doesn’t matter where we start, it matters where we finish”. Believe you can and you will.
If I can do it, so can you.