Harvey Mackay Quotations

When you wake up every day, you have two choices. You can either be positive or negative; an optimist or a pessimist. I choose to be an optimist. It's all a matter of perspective.

Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better.

None of us got to where we are alone. Whether the assistance we received was obvious or subtle, acknowledging someone's help is a big part of understanding the importance of saying thank you.

When you have a dream that you can't let go of, trust your instincts and pursue it. But remember: Real dreams take work, They take patience, and sometimes they require you to dig down very deep. Be sure you're willing to do that.

Talent is God-given; be humble. Fame is man-given; be thankful. Conceit is self-given; be careful.

I've learned that people will seldom let you down if they understand that your destiny is in their hands, and vice versa.

Like it or not, life is a series of competitions. You may be competing for a grade, a spot on a team, a job, or the largest account in town. The higher your self-esteem is, the better you get along with yourself, with others, and the more you'll accomplish.

Deadlines aren't bad. They help you organize your time. They help you set priorities. They make you get going when you might not feel like it.

Worrying about the past or the future isn't productive. When you start chastising yourself for past mistakes, or seeing disaster around every corner, stop and take a breath and ask yourself what you can do right now to succeed.

There is a time to provide advice and offer an opinion, and there is a time not to. Don't be too quick to offer unsolicited advice. It certainly will not endear you to people.

Life isn't fair. It's true, and you still have to deal with it. Whining about it rarely levels the playing field, but learning to rise above it is the ultimate reward.

I've known entrepreneurs who were not great salespeople, or didn't know how to code, or were not particularly charismatic leaders. But I don't know of any entrepreneurs who have achieved any level of success without persistence and determination.

Ethical decisions ensure that everyone's best interests are protected. When in doubt, don't.

Pay attention to those employees who respectfully ask why. They are demonstrating an interest in their jobs and exhibiting a curiosity that could eventually translate into leadership ability.

Employee loyalty begins with employer loyalty. Your employees should know that if they do the job they were hired to do with a reasonable amount of competence and efficiency, you will support them.

To be a champion, you have to learn to handle stress and pressure. But if you've prepared mentally and physically, you don't have to worry.

I believe that visualization is one of the most powerful means of achieving personal goals.

Every morning brings new potential, but if you dwell on the misfortunes of the day before, you tend to overlook tremendous opportunities.

You don't need a big close, as many sales reps believe. You risk losing your customer when you save all the good stuff for the end. Keep the customer actively involved throughout your presentation, and watch your results improve.

The life of a startup is full of ups and downs, an emotional roller coaster ride that you can't quite imagine if you've spent your whole career in a corporation.

To me, job titles don't matter. Everyone is in sales. It's the only way we stay in business.

Fatigue makes fools of us all. It robs you of your skills and your judgment, and it blinds you to creative solutions. It's the best-conditioned athlete, not the most talented, who generally wins when the going gets tough.

Most fears of rejection rest on the desire for approval from other people. Don't base your self-esteem on their opinions.

Southwest Airlines is successful because the company understands it's a customer service company. It also happens to be an airline.

A great accomplishment shouldn't be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next leap forward.

As you schedule individual tasks, give yourself a cushion. Mark the due date a few days ahead of the actual deadline so you have time to deal with changes or last-minute emergencies.

Ego stops you from getting things done and getting people to work with you. That's why I firmly believe that ego and success are not compatible.

Don't fall in love with your wit. Your cleverly turned phrase may not, as you hope, show off how much gray matter you have, especially if the phrase is at someone else's expense.

A smart manager will establish a culture of gratitude. Expand the appreciative attitude to suppliers, vendors, delivery people, and of course, customers.

Too often, sales reps simply regurgitate their presentations and expect to land the sale. It doesn't work.

If you find yourself plagued by a recurrent worry, train yourself to think of something else. Your conscious mind can concentrate on only one thought at a time, and driving the negativity away will free you up to move forward again.

When an employee asks why the company does things a certain way, and you can explain the logical reason, then the employee knows what she's doing is valid.

You can win more friends with your ears than with your mouth. People who feel like they're being listened to feel accepted and appreciated. They feel like they're being taken seriously and what they say really matters.

By getting your customers to agree with you in small steps along the way, you have a better chance of reaching agreement when it's time to do business.

No one ever wants to see his or her name linked to anything bad. Conscience is like a baby. It has to go to sleep before you can.

A student of life considers the world a classroom.

My Golden Rule of Networking is simple: Don't keep score.

Good intentions aren't enough. People have good intentions when they set a goal to do something, but then they miss a deadline or other milestone.

You do not get what you want. You get what you negotiate.

If you believe, as I do, that your employees truly are your most valuable asset, you will do whatever you can to help them do their jobs as well as possible.

It doesn't matter whether you are pursuing success in business, sports, the arts, or life in general: The bridge between wishing and accomplishing is discipline.

The annals of business are filled with stories of companies that thought they had it made and could milk their enterprises without having to bother about improving their products or services. It's amazing how fast they found their markets disappearing.

Your workforce is your most valuable asset. The knowledge and skills they have represent the fuel that drives the engine of business - and you can leverage that knowledge.

Pale ink is better than the most retentive memory.

Amateurs wait for inspiration. The real pros get up and go to work.

Humility is becoming a lost art, but it's not difficult to practice. It means that you realize that others have been involved in your success.

You can't buy a good reputation; you must earn it.

The cost of praising someone is nil - but every psychological study shows the payoff is huge.

The sooner you accept the fact that you will have both successes and failures, the easier it will be to get your business and personal life headed in the right direction.

Just because an employee does things differently doesn't mean he or she won't do the job right or as well. If you establish expectations of the goal and the standards to follow, then methodology shouldn't be an issue.

Learn from the past, but don't live there. Build on what you know so that you don't repeat mistakes.

By my count, more business leaders have failed and derailed because of arrogance than any other character flaw.

The employees who share innovative ideas may also be the folks who have some hidden talents that would help incorporate their suggestions.

It's only lonely at the top if you forget all the people you met along the way and fail to acknowledge their contributions to your success.

Exploring how you could make a bad situation worse can sometimes tell you what not to do.

Give your subconscious a chance to work by turning your brain off from time to time. Don't focus on work or solving problems constantly.

Delegating doesn't mean passing off work you don't enjoy, but letting your employees stretch their skills and judgment.

Direct your energy toward achieving a goal, and tackle the problems with an emphasis on edging closer to a successful result.

You learn how to be book smart in school, but you better not forget that you also need to be street smart.

When advice is freely given, the receiver is free to use it as he or she sees fit.

Pessimism doesn't grow your business or even maintain the status quo. The pessimists on your staff make the job harder for everyone around them. They make difficulties out of opportunities.

An optimist understands that life can be a bumpy road, but at least it is leading somewhere. They learn from mistakes and failures, and are not afraid to fail again.

Customers are the reason we open our doors every day, and keep the machines humming all night long. Customers determine what we eat, where we live, whether we stay in business.

Never forget, the real secret of giving advice is this: Once you've given it, don't concern yourself with whether it is followed or not, and refrain from saying 'I told you so.'

It's nice to be important, but more important to be nice. You don't know who your top customers will be five years from now or where you will be in 10 years. You may have a fancy title, but you will always need help from the people around you.

Expect to make some mistakes when you try new and different approaches. Sometimes colossal failures lead to spectacular successes.

In a litigation-happy society, clear agreements often prevent small disagreements from becoming big ones.

The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your relationships. The quality of your business is no different.

There is no shame in taking pride in achievements or position. But nobody gets to the top alone.

If you want people to know how much you care, show them how much you remember. Learn their names and use them often. It's an important skill to develop.

In a climate of tight budgets, reduced workforces and stiff competition, internal training can be a great substitute for costly offsite workshops and conferences.

The service leaders hire one out of 50 applicants, sometimes one out of 100, but they're very, very careful. You can't afford not to be extremely choosy when you hire.

Remember you're not entitled to anything. You have to earn your success every day, and you will make mistakes like everyone else.

I have ten marathons under my belt, including four New York races and one Boston.

No business can stay in business without customers. How you treat - or mistreat - them determines how long your doors stay open.

Time is free, but it's priceless. You can'town it, but you can use it. You can't keepit, but you can spend it. Once you've lost ityou can never get it back.

Don't water your weeds.

We will move mountains to keep the team here.

Often, firing is a straightforward cost-cutting measure. When you're fired, it's easy to weave fantasies and imagine villains. If you are going to spend an hour feeling miserable, make sure that you are miserable for the right reason.

Find something you love to do and you'll never have to work a day in your life

Life is too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right. Forget about those who don’t. Believe everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said life would be easy, they just promised it would most likely be worth it.

Life is series of opportunities. The often neglected fact of life is that opportunities multiply as you take advantage of them.

Mackay's Moral: If you are persistent, you will get it. If you are consistent, you will keep it.

Being rich isn't about money. Being rich is a state of mind. Some of us, no matter how much money we have, will never be free enough to take time to stop and eat the heart of the watermelon. And some of us will be rich without ever being more than a paycheck ahead of the game.

Your day usually goes the way the corners of your mouth turn. The most powerful single thing you can do to influence others is to smile at them.

Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it you can never get it back.

If you want to double your success ratio, you have to double your failure ratio.

People begin to become successful the minute they decide to be.

It's the oldest, corniest piece of advice in the world but it still works. The strongest networks are built on friendship. Be a friend not only to the people in your network, but to the people who matter the most to the people in your network.

Look in the mirror every day and say, I am in charge. You might not have control over every phase of your life, but you have more control than you realize, and you are responsible for your own happiness and success.

Failure is an attitude, not an outcome.

Many, perhaps most, people who lose their jobs are mistaken about the reason for which they lost their jobs. Some will say that they're failures, others that their boss had it in for them, and others yet that they were sure their career ended because of a stupid faux pas they made at the company picnic.

It doesn't matter how much milk you spill as long as you don't lose the cow.

Failures don't plan to fail; they fail to plan.

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Leadership does not mean getting people to do their job. It means getting people to do their best.

Failure is not falling down but staying down.

One mistake will never kill you. The same mistake over and over again will.

A mediocre person tells. A good person explains. A superior person demonstrates. A great person inspires others to see for themselves.

Anyone too busy to say thank you will get fewer and fewer chances to say it.