Mr. Ken Hunt’s 10 Rules to Live By.

This past week I had the privilege to serve as a moderator for an outstanding group of entrepreneurs for our students. The evening was put together by members of the Oak Park and River Forest Community Foundation and the OPRF School of Business. One of the panel members was the former CEO, Chairman of the Board and Founder of Vasco Data Security, Mr. T. Kendall Hunt. Mr. Hunt shared his humble upbringing in a small town in Illinois. He described working hard and playing football. Eventually he earned a scholarship and played at the University of Miami. He went on to explain his venture working at IBM and jumping ship to start Vasco.

Mr. Hunt obviously has a lot of experience in life. It was amazing how the 73 year old held our students captivated during his discussion. He spoke softly and purposefully. After I asked the panel their first question, Mr. Hunt started by giving his 10 rules to live by. In the crowd, several students scrambled for a pen and paper to write down this wisdom about to be spoken. The list was powerful. Over 50 years worth of life experience put into simple words on the list. I emailed Mr. Hunt following the panel discussion and he was kind enough to send me the list. I wanted to share it with my readers in this blog. Here they are:

Ken Hunt’s 10 Rules To Live By

1. Never give up. Almost nothing works the first time it’s attempted. Just because what you’re doing does not seem to be working, doesn’t mean it won’t work. It just means that it might not work the way you’re doing it.

2. Stay out of your comfort zone. Not much happens of any significance when you’re in your comfort zone. Always move forward. Never stop learning. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new

3. When you’re ready to quit, you’re closer than you think. The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.

4. Take things a day at a time. No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don’t look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

5. Measure everything of significance. Anything that is measured and watched improves.

6. Never let anyone push you around. In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you’re doing as anyone else.

7. Never expect life to be fair. Life isn’t fair. You make your own breaks.

8. Solve your own problems. By coming up with your own solutions, you’ll develop a competitive edge.

9. Don’t take yourself too seriously. Lighten up. At least half of what is accomplished is due to luck.

10. There’s always a reason to smile. Find it. We’re not here on earth for long, so live your life, love others, and laugh often.

This list represents the world to me. I still get goosebumps when I read it. It is so true in my journey. Thank you Mr. Hunt for sharing your wisdom!

#disrupteducation