Go
Beyond Money
by Donald
J. Trump
________________________________________________
The
first sentence in my first book, The Art of the Deal , goes like
this: “I don't
do it for the money. I've got enough, much more than I'll ever
need. I do it to do it. Deals are my art form. Other people paint
beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making
deals, preferably big deals. That's how I get my kicks.”
That book came out in 1987. It's almost 20 years later and I'm still
making deals and I'm still not doing it for the money. I think time
is on my side because I have a lot more money now than I did then.
At the end of that book, I also mention that there are two things
I have found myself to be very good at: overcoming obstacles and
motivating good people to do their best work. I've had some major
challenges since then, which I've met, and I've made a hit television
show out of motivating smart people to do and be their best. I certainly
didn't see that one coming, nor did I see Trump University surfacing
either. But here we are, with The Apprentice entering yet another
season and Trump University expanding in many ways.
I didn't get involved in either one of these ventures to make money.
I had something to offer and the opportunities presented themselves
to me. I was simply in the midst of doing my daily deals when these
things found their way to me. It's funny how that can work. Notice
that I said I was working, doing my daily deals. I wasn't sitting
around waiting for people to come up with great ideas for me. I was
focused on my business and moving forward daily when they were presented
to me. There's something about keeping your momentum going that can
work like a generator in producing and attracting good energy and
great ideas.
If I was in it just for the money, I would never have ended up doing
a lot of the things I've done. Take Wollman Rink, for example. My
decision to renovate it didn't come from any profit motive. I did
it to save the city time and money. I knew I had the ability to get
it done in less time and for less money. I loved doing that job because
I love New York City and Central Park, and the citizens of New York
deserve the best.
Ask yourself what you love doing first, then
think about the money. If you think about the money first, you've
got it all wrong. That's a backwards approach to success, and it
won't be very rewarding for very long. Sure, money is a scorecard
and it is certainly useful, but it shouldn't be the be all and
end all. See it as the means to an end, but not the total reason
for your efforts or endeavors. As Benjamin Franklin put it: “He
that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected
of doing everything for money. ”
You might be thinking that it's easy for me to say what I'm saying
because I'm already a billionaire. It probably helps, but even when
I was a millionaire, I was interested above all in the end product.
I had to care about what I was doing, while keeping the big picture
in mind. I wanted to transform the Commodore Hotel into a beautiful
Hyatt Hotel not just because it would be a great success, but because
it would help the surrounding, increasingly dilapidated area of Grand
Central on 42nd Street. That's a major thoroughfare, and it was becoming
an eyesore and an undesirable location in midtown Manhattan. My success
there began a renewal that has continued to this day. Yes, I made
money, but there was more to it than just that.
Give your goals substance. Imbue them with
a value that exceeds the monetary. Make them count on as many levels
as you can. Give them a subtext that will provide them with a dimension
that will not only benefit you but other people as well. In other
words, get the big picture. That's an important aspect of thinking
big—and a
big step towards greater success.
There are a variety of valuable resources, including
a regular newsletter, questions and answers from Donald Trump at
www.trumpuniversity.com and www.trump.com
