Lee Collins lets AU on the secret to success

It’s not news that perseverance is the key to success; it is the steps you take to persevere that will make you successful, Dr. Lee Collins, a motivational speaker on leadership, told AU in Nevins Theater on Nov. 11.

The American Marketing Association (AMA) invited Collins to speak at AU to aid in the success of Alfred as a whole. The audience was packed and the sound of Velcro could be heard as Collins handed out wristbands to promote positive thinking.

Velcro was invented by a man named George who took his dog for a walk and got stuck with an annoying burr. George became fascinated by the burr and passionately made his way to become the inventor of Velcro, Collins said.

Although Collins said that perseverance is not news, he stated that there are three keys that one must use in order to be successful. The keys are fairly simple: a sharpened focus, competence, and passion. Each key has a multiplicative effect on another, meaning increasing just one of these keys will positively increase all three as a whole.

Collins explained that a sharpened focus is like the sun versus a laser. The sun is a powerful source of energy but it gives off this energy in a diffused manner. A laser on the other hand is a relatively weak source of energy on a large scale but, the energy is given off in a coherent stream that can be powerful enough to cut diamonds.
“Those who consistently stick to their plans are laser-like,” Collins said.

But how do we stay focused and what do we stay focused on? Collins told the audience two questions they must ask themselves in order to stay focused: “What are you passionate about, and what are you naturally gifted at?” He said if you can answer these, then you are well on your way to success.

The key to competence comes from the skills you learn about yourself through focus. He compared competence to the sweet spot in a tennis racket explaining that you know that you are hitting things right if you go for it and it feels good just like hitting a tennis ball with the sweet spot of a racket.

“Our goal is to live in our sweet spot,” Collins said.

Finally, Collins revealed the third method of success: ignite your passion. Passion is one of the strongest keys to success. Passion is what makes humans able to accomplish such amazing feats, Collins said.

“Passion enables us to perform ordinary tasks in an extraordinary way,” Collins said.

Although he pointed out that the three keys to success seem simple, the path to success may not always be easy and enjoyable. It’s the bigger picture one must always keep in mind. Collins told the audience that we have the power to take one little thing and make it huge through the keys of success.

“Put positive thoughts in your head today and get positive thoughts tomorrow,” Collins said.