What It Takes by Stephen Schwarzman

In the past, I worked at Ann’s Italian Restaurant back in Hales Corners, Wisconsin (a Milwaukee suburb). My first job, I worked there for 2 years before college and then summer and winter breaks until after my junior year at the university. Justin was the general manager there (and still is) and we often talked about business, finances, cars, and investments. One of his favorite stocks was Blackstone. I invested in them myself and we both were able to collect a dividend. Once I saw that this was one of the suggested books on Audible, I thought that I could learn a lot from the gentleman who constructed and has led an incredibly successful firm such as Blackstone. I realize in hindsight that I should have expected much more — I just was not very well-informed about the founding or history of the organization, or of Stephen for that matter.

This is just perfectly said. I see that in people in my life already and in the lives of people that I follow publicly. It only matters how we respond in times of failures and successes. The extent to which we let those two things impact us determines so much about our future.

Once you succeed, people see only the successes. If you fail, they see only the failure. Rarely do they see the turning points that could have taken you in a totally different direction. But; it’s at these inflection points that the most important…