Pearls Of Wisdom From The Successful

They say if you want to be truly successful then you should do what the most successful people in the world do. How do you know what they do? Well, you can read their autobiographies or you can simply go and talk to them, which is what I did on several occasions. On this particular setting I scheduled an appointment to speak with Robert Goldberg, who at the time, was President of Ohio Savings Bank, NKA, Amtrust Bank. I actually got a chance to speak with him and pick up some pearls of wisdom about success and becoming financially independent.

During my encounter with Mr. Goldberg I asked what were some of the attributes or qualities one needed in order to become successful no matter what company you were working for and the first attribute he shared was the fact that you have to work hard. He went on to explain how his father was a hard worker, persevered and was disciplined in his saving habits, which eventually enabled him to save enough money to buy the bank. He understand the powerful concept of compound interest and how money works. Albert Einstein called compound interest the eighth wonder of the world because of the extraordinary impact it has on your money when you begin to save and have that money subject to a decent interest rate.

Mr. Goldberg went on to explain how he developed habits of discipline and perseverance because of an early set back or failure in college. That also corresponds with my thoughts on the matter that you need your setbacks and temporary defeats to shake you out of your comfort zone, which in essence leads you to greater victories in the days, weeks, months and years ahead. It’s our setbacks that propel us onto greatness. Willie Jolley, a renown motivational speaker said it best in his best selling book, entitled, “A Setback Is A Setup For A Comeback”. When you have a setback you are in essence positioning yourself for a comeback. You learn from your failures and mistakes and set out anew with new plans, ideas, hopes and sometimes new dreams in an effort to live your purpose and fulfill your destiny.


As I listened to Robert Goldberg I could not help but think about how some people are so flawed in their thinking. They think people become successful by luck, or accident, or it was just meant for them to be. The last part of that statement is true, it was meant for them to be successful, but only after they have paid their dues with long hard hours of work, and perseverance and with not only knowledge, but as Nido Quebein once said, it’s knowledge in order. You can have all the knowledge you want but if you don’t apply it in an organized format towards the accomplishment of your stated goals. you will not receive the desired results.

Willie Jolley said it’s like baking a cake, there is a certain recipe you must follow to get the best results. If you don’t follow the exact recipe then you will get less than stellar results. Too much of this, not enough of that or this is missing all together. There is a process, a recipe or a formula that must be followed to become successful.

As we continued the conversation Mr. Goldberg hit on another key quality and that is integrity and always telling the truth, along with keeping your word. What powerful concepts and principles for success. During the early years of running the bank he stated if a customer was told he would receive an interest rate of 6% and the rates increased to 7% or 8% that is what the customer received, because 6% was the prevailing rate at the time. Your word is your bond. These were times when a handshake would suffice and a deal was made. Not anymore. Both sides today come armed with attorneys looking for loopholes but that’s the way society has evolved to. Integrity is a continuous action, which enables you to develop a reputation for integrity.

Another key concept he expounded upon was doing more than is required of you. If you have a project with a deadline of three days, get it done in two.


Mr. Goldberg mentioned how important it is to understand what it is you want to accomplish or pursue while you are in college. As he spoke on these things I immediately thought about myself and how important it is to understand your purpose and the need to have clarity.

Robert mentioned how he honored the things his father spoke of and also the great example his father set which he followed. His fathers story represented the ultimate success story. He ventured to this country in 1929 without any money and he deposited 50 cents per day which enabled him to eventually save enough money to purchase a lot, resell it and purchase another. Again, he was eventually able to purchase the bank in 1961 with assets in the millions and 60 employees.

Being a good listener was the next quality he spoke about. So many times people don’t really listen they merely wait for the other person to pause or stop speaking so they can interject their own thoughts without taking the time to thoroughly absorb what was said. Listening allows you to learn from others because no one has all the answers. Always have an open door policy which allows associates to voice their opinion and express what is on their mind .

The next success tip was very key as well and it is have compassion on your co-workers and treat them like family, which sets the stage for your employees to go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Working and contributing to the community was another key quality Mr. Goldberg spoke of. This for the most part was the end of my interview and it enabled me to put some plans into place that would help me achieve even a greater level of success. I was able to put some notes together from our encounter and every now and then I refer back to them as a reminder of the things I need to do to walk into greatness and fulfill my destiny.

To Your Great Success

Mel Richardson
VisionStar Enterprises
1906 Galetown Drive
Severn, MD 21144

216-956-3640