Business Mogul
Quick Facts :
Eldest child of Donald and Ivana Trump
Executive Vice President, Development & Acquisitions of The Trump Organization
Graduated from Wharton School of Finance
Highly sought after speaker around the world
Served as an advisor on the acclaimed TV show, The Apperentice
Personally manages billion-dollar real estate projects
Many people are familiar with his father, Donald Trump. As you know, he has done well in business , but even though he have been raised in a family with considerable financial resources, he have learned never to take money for granted - and that one lesson has played a big role in the way I live my life today.
He grew up spending a lot of time with his grandfather (from his mother's side) who, for many years of his life, was an electrician living in communist Czechoslovakia. When he visited him in his home country at age five he quickly learned that the life he had in the United States was not normal - especially considering the bleak circumstances millions of other people experience around the world. Early in his life, he came to understand the value of a dollar and how it impacts one's life, the global economy, and how fortunate he was to be born into a well-off American family.
His life in the U.S offered him many opportunities and to say that he wasn't spoiled in certain ways would be quite humorous. However, he would have to say that his parents did a very good job raising his brother, sister and him because even though they enjoyed nice things, nothing was simply handed to them. He thankful that they had encouragement, access to education, and cultural exposure through world traveling, but, in all other ways, they had to work hard to achieve their individual goals.
Despite what many people might think, he was not given a large allowance. Even while he was attending college in Philadelphia he barely had enough money to cover his expenses. He had to come up with his own ways of earning money to purchase anything that wasn't an absolute necessity. He used to get frustrated at times, but now he grateful his parents raised him that way. He have learned to be creative, efficient, and self-motivated.
As you can probably guess, both of his parents were highly motivated. His father is the kind of guy who works twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week - and he have seen how hard his has worked to earn the lifestyle he has today. Unknowingly, at a very young age, he learned that nothing worthwhile in life comes without effort.
He have always admired his parents, so he set out to learn everything he could from them. he know that his personal sense of motivation is partly genetic because he see a lot of his parents' traits in his self and his siblings, but he also know that genetics alone does not guarantee success.
He know a lot of people - and he sure you do too - who have had extraordinary talent and let it go to waste. He have also met an equal number of people who seemingly had everything going against them, but as a result of their determination, have achieved remarkable success. Regardless of what someone's level of education or talent may be, if you are willing to work hard and invest the time and effort necessary to hone your skills, then you can almost always outperform the gifted individuals who are not willing to work. It's up to each person to take responsibility for the quality of their life. Sure, some people are born with certain advantages, but it's what we do with what we have that matters most.
His dad raised him to appreciate the value of getting the end result quickly and effectively. Big degrees and formal education didn't impress him. He didn't have to go to college, he chose to. He worked hard to get into the Wharton School of Finance, one of the top business schools in the country. He certainly think it helps to have gone to a terrific school, because it can offer instant credibility when you walk into a room. However, he know many high executives who currently work for his father who started off as drivers or security guards. They became successful, not because of an elite education, but because they held themselves to a high standard of workmanship - and that is perhaps, the most important factor of success.
"Book smarts" are great, but to excel in the real world, you need "street smarts" as well. it's a combination of both that can really make you stand out from the crowd. Street smarts mean having the ability to quickly come up with unconventional solutions to common challenges.
It's actually quite simple : Unmotivated people, who are not self-starters, will not accomplish much of anything. Couch potatoes don't get rewarded in life. To be successful you have to have desire to be successful - and if you love what you do, then chances are, you're going to be good at it as well. When your job is your hobby and your vacation is enjoyable, and then what you do for a living is no longer considered "work." However, if you dislike your job you're going to get in Monday morning and say, "I can't believe I have five days of this!" Not a good situation. It's important to pursue what you love, even if it doesn't seem to have the potential to make a huge amount of money at first.
When you pursue any worthwhile goal, there will almost always be some form of pressure. For him, there has definitely been pressure from his parents as well as great expectations from the outside world. When you wear the Trump family name, people often assume that you have everything - and for whatever reason (most often jealousy), some people want to see you fail. As a result, he had to develop an anti-rich kid mentality and work longer, and harder than anyone would expect.
Strangely enough, he actually use that underdog approach to his advantage! Because a lot of people think he have been handed everything, he let them assume that he is a moron. Then, when they start making the business deal and negotiating, them find themselves spun of their heads because they underestimated his knowledge and his experience. As his father often says, "If you are not working better than your competition - or if someone else can do your job effectively - then you better start searching for another job."
His dad has made it clear to him that if he don't do his job better than someone else he can hire, he will replace him. He know it's nothing personal, it's just business. That's how it works in the real world. You have to make yourself valuable - and nobody else can do that for you. In the end, it pays to learn more, work harder, and get things done.
He glad he had the chance to learn from such a great teacher : his father. By most standards, his upbringing was not unconventional. If he wanted to spend time with his dad, it was usually on a job site, not on the ball field. This sort of programming from an early age led him to be passionate about real estate, which is what he doing today. He witnessed how demanding his father could be as a boss and consequently, he learned the concept the sink or swim. Give your best or go home. His core message was the importance of doing what you love because if you don't, your mind will be more focused on doing other things. A true passion and love for what you are doing will always separate the good from the great.
He really believe that life is an evolutionary process. Despite the many things he have accomplished, he have still gone through hard times just like anyone else. He remember when his parents were getting their divorce, he didn't speak to his father for over a year because he attributed the failure of the marriage to him. But in retrospect, it was a great learning experience. The world isn't always this nice, joyous place. Life can be harsh no matter where you stand economically.
Some unforeseen challenges and other people's criticism will test your commitment, but he have learned to handle negativity, in whatever form it appears, with one simple approach : Success. In the end, you must go out into the world and get the job done, because that is the greatest form of redemption. Without a doubt, getting the result is the greatest way to show the world and yourself that you do have what it takes. As it is often said, "There are men of words and men of action, and the men of action are the ones that get things done."
