No matter what you or your employees or your kids are going after, make sure you or they have some skin in the game. It might be effort or money or time, but there’s something about human nature that if we get something for nothing we don’t really appreciate it very much. But if we work really hard to gain a new client, to earn a new project, to win a bonus, to get a good grade, or to go to a good college, it means a lot more to us.

The journey usually means more than the destination. If we look back on our journey as being filled with mediocre efforts and poor investments, the destination won’t mean as much to us no matter how good it turns out. Pour yourself into what you are going after and I think you will find that the journey and the arrival will mean a great deal more to you. It will enrich your career and your life.