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Einstein's Three Rules for Succeeding at Whatever You Do
Here's a favorite quote from Albert Einstein:

"Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity."

In my days trying to breaking into the movie business as a screenwriter, one thing I was told repeatedly by other screenwriters was that stories revolved around conflict. The more I worked at perfecting my writing, though, the more I found that that particular truism only scratched the surface.

I found that simple conflict wasn't always interesting enough to carry a story. Seeing two people mad at each other might catch our attention, but it won't hold it.

What held people's interest in any good story was a compelling contrast underneath the conflict. A good story always has the main character thrust into a situation that was the exact opposite of what he or she was equipped to handle. A contrast existed between what the hero felt comfortable with and what the hero needed to do.

That contrast makes the story compelling -- much more compelling than the conflict itself that emerged from the contrast.

Einstein, here, hits on that same point. Succeeding at whatever you do involves contrasts: bringing simplicity out of clutter, bringing harmony out of discord, bringing opportunity out of difficulty.

Success doesn't involve avoiding those negatives. It involves finding the positives that lie hidden inside of them.

Don't shrink back from those negatives. Tackle them. Explore them. Only by doing that will you find the ways that they can bring you success.
Jeff

Labels: inspirational quotes