JIMMY BUFFETT - KEYS TO SUCCESS
By Duncan
I was rooting around on the internet and noticed a Jimmy Buffett video where he was giving a commencement address to the graduates of the University of Miami in May 2015. I paused and looked at the thumbnail picture for a few seconds and thought,
“This guy is worth a billion dollars. If I give this video a few minutes, maybe I’ll be a billionaire too.” Well, it was just a thought.
Jimmy had only four pieces of advice for the graduating classmates. I’m sure you can figure out a couple of them before I reveal his list.
ALL THINGS IN MODERATION
MAKE YOUR AVOCATION YOUR VOCATION
IT’S TIME TO SEE THE WORLD
BE SANTA CLAUSE WHEN YOU CAN
There is additional advice under the four headings. If you want to continue with me, you're more than welcome. In earlier videos I do remember Jimmy saying when he was young, all he wanted to do was play music and get the girls. This was very early in his career. If it was considered a career at that time. He got his act together and offers this advice now.
ALL THINGS IN MODERATION: During his speech, he indicated he was forty (40) years old, and the hangovers were affecting his stage performances. He realized he needed to give the audience his best performance. He woke up to reality and knew if he continued on this path, he would end up like rubbish, like many performers scattered along the highway. He decided to clean up his act and make this job (one that he loved) the best he could. Why waste the talent he was given.
MAKE YOUR AVOCATION YOUR VOCATION: I think we have all learned this one a long time ago. Some of us have been lucky enough to follow our passion. Avocation is something one loves to do. Vocation is one’s principal occupation. If your hobby or passion is fun, and you can make a living out of your avocation, you will be happy for the rest of your life.
What does it take to be successful in life? Jimmy had another list.
TALENT - 10%
LUCK - 20%
WORK ETHIC - 30%
PASSION - 40%
Jimmy was quick to say, “Passion does not mean PROFIT. Passion is the rudder that sears your boat to success.”
TIME TO SEE THE WORLD: The internet is not surfing sitting on your ass in front of a computer. Jimmy said that only 5% of the 300 million people in the United States have left the United States.
I had a hard time with this statistic. Did he mean only 5% have moved away and live in another country, or did he mean only 5% of Americans travel to a different country? I decided to hit the internet and get a handle on this 5% figure. It seems only one-third (⅓) of Americans have a valid passport. And other information geeks say it appears 40% do travel, and 60% have never left the United States. Of course, the next question is, “WHAT IS SEEING THE WORLD?” Is it one country or ten countries? I’ll leave the answer to this question up to you.
BE SANTA CLAUSE WHENEVER YOU CAN: Jimmy indicated to the graduates that they are lucky to receive an education and the college experience. This is not something you deserve; this is a gift. Remember, it is a gift, and you need to give back that gift to others.
Jimmy then indicated that he started as a bar singer and is now a “Doctor of Music.”
"TRUST THE UNIVERSE AND FINS UP!!!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA2anzzx8IQ
