***SUCCESS IN BUSINESS, PREDICT IT WITH THIS ONE FACTOR

The single most accurate indicator of a young lawyer's success, I objectively observed in south Florida as an humble court reporter, was this attitude: that he freely and enthusiastically wished riches on everyone, success to everybody around him. This puzzled me at first, so I paid attention. I shared this observation with a young ambitious lawyer who, heading up a fairly new firm, bemoaned 'how impossible it was to hire young law graduates who were going to be an early success.' I asked him whether he meant financial success or professional success (which are not always the same thing). He said 'financial, of course.' This conversation was one of those that arose only because we shared the same bench while waiting for our respective hearings with judges. I told him my observation about well-wishers being winners and forgot the conversation. I assured him I had made a study of this, that it was based solidly on observation of a decade. I gave him examples of five-year atto eys who were financially successful despite having less talent than others in their field. A few years later the lawyer ran into me. He thanked me profusely for my contribution. By then, I had forgotten the conversation and him. He reported that he had religiously applied my observation, that he had built himself a respected law firm this way, that he was incredibly prosperous and successful in such a short time, due, he said, to this one factor. He reported there was no exception to this method of hiring, that furthermore, the more the prospective hiree cheerfully wished wealth upon people around him, the more successful he would be in his law career: even the degree of well-wishing counted! Yes, he had made quite a study of the concept. It had made him rich. He was so happy as he recounted this story that I surmised the atmosphere in his law firm was upbeat, so upbeat he was feeling good, feeling optimistic. Strangely enough, this fellow did not become a client of mine! Does this yardstick apply only to lawyers? And why is it true?--because it truly is. People who create wealth starting from 'zero' are Artists of the Deal. The Art of the Deal is two happy people. When a person creates business that makes the partner in the transaction happy, that partner-person comes back and does another deal if there is a way to do it. The lad or lassie who has the knack for consistently making others happy dealing with them will be wealthy for his/her circumstances. That is inevitable, you can see. I submit that the attitude of wanting others around you to be wealthy predisposes you to create business deals mutually satisfactory to the parties. In other words, if I want you to be rich, I am likely to contribute to your being rich, and therefore you are likely to reciprocate if there is a chance to do that.