Andrew Carnegie was a Scottish-American industrialist, AUTHOR and philanthropist. He accumulated his wealth due to hard work in various fields, including steel production, but he is best known for having had great success despite not coming from money or privilege (or both).
So here are nine lessons that teach us how successful people like ourselves can achieve anything they put their minds to!
1. Do not be afraid to fail
Carnegie was confident that he would succeed at business, but he did have some early failures. Nevertheless, he said anyone who wants to be successful should keep trying something new. ‘Keep on going and the chance will come,’ he wrote in his famous essay “The Road to Business Success.”
He moved to the US in 1848 at 12 years old, got a job as a bobbin boy in a cotton factory while learning English, and then moved up to become an assistant telegraph operator. He eventually started his own business with the help of some colleagues.
2. Try to have balance in your life
Carnegie believed that you are not likely to succeed in your worldly pursuits if you don’t have balance in your life. ‘The balanced man will be the one who is happiest,’ he wrote, ‘for few can successfully concentrate their powers upon a single object of pursuit and keep their relations with other men in happy adjustment.’
So just remember that when you are working hard and focusing on achieving your goals and dreams. You need to balance it out by making sure you don’t neglect your personal life and lose yourself in the process.
3. We all should learn from our mistakes
Carnegie believed we should take every opportunity we can to improve ourselves, and we often do this through failing or learning from our blunders. He created what he called his ‘Blessings of Adversity’ list, writing about relationships and business ventures that fell short because it helped him learn from his experience.
He also created a list called ‘Thoughts on Trifles .’ He wrote down every little thing that annoyed him during the day. This taught him to think about the little things in life that he could change, like not leaving toothpaste in the sink. ‘Every night’s reading should be part of a course of self-improvement,’ Carnegie wrote. ‘No one can grow intellectually without making it a practice to read some good solid matter every day.’
4. Be humble
Carnegie also believed you should always be willing to take advice from other people, whether it’s your friends or even the person serving your dinner. ‘The wise man gets more use from his enemies than the fool does from his friends,’ he wrote, ‘for the wise man learns by observing both friends and enemies, while the fool trusts his friends.’
He wrote that he learned this after a trip to Europe, where he missed opportunities because he could not speak French or German. This experience taught him the value of humility and realised how much more there was to learn from those around him.
5. Be generous
Carnegie believed generosity rewards a person in many ways, not only with money but better health and a more positive outlook on life.
‘No matter how much we may give in charity, we can always afford to be more generous,’ he wrote. ‘It is this spirit of giving which makes the philanthropist.’
Philanthropy and generosity not only benefit others and create happiness, it helps you become a better person as well.
He believed this so much that he started a foundation called The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission, which rewards those who risk their lives to save someone else’s life. He also created the Carnegie Dunfermline Trust to help Scottish widows and orphans.
6. Be very careful about where you donate your money
Carnegie was a big advocate of giving back to the community, but he was picky about it. He wrote, ‘This is why I advocate wise giving, which means helping those who are willing to help themselves.’
He said donations should be made anonymously and wisely because you don’t want your charity work to ever seem like a publicity stunt or for people to think you are trying to buy their favor or votes.
He also believed that donations should come from the heart and that it’s better to give a little bit of money to many people than a lot of money to one person. So remember, your generosity does not have to be as big as Bill Gates’, but just as thoughtful.
7. Trust is an essential element of business
Carnegie believed that ‘the man who doesn’t make a friend in business makes an enemy.’
‘The man who succeeds,’ he wrote, ‘is the one with faith in human nature.’
He said that trust and confidence can transcend all forms of social or economic barriers and help people rise above them.
Carnegie also believed that honesty and trustworthiness are essential to success because ‘an arrangement based on any other consideration is sure to prove unsatisfactory in the end.’ It might be tempting to lie, cheat or steal your way to the top, but it will never last.
8. You can become a force for good in this world
Carnegie’s most famous and successful steel company was called U.S. Steel, and he believed that one man could make a difference in this world if he worked hard enough. If someone with nothing can become successful, think of what you can accomplish with the right combination of drive, determination, and sacrifice.
‘The coming man is he who has conquered all vices and weaknesses,’ Carnegie wrote. ‘He is strong, self-reliant, and consequent.’
Carnegie believed that any man or woman can become successful if they are willing to put in the work and pay their dues — that’s maybe the most important lesson of all.
9. If you’re not thinking big, you’re not thinking
Carnegie believed that those who don’t dream and expand their vision limit themselves to one lifetime of mediocre accomplishments. He wrote, ‘It is the man with a large faith who truly faces eternity — he sees beyond time and space.’
‘The greatest thing a man can do is to help others,’ wrote Carnegie. ‘That is success — that is true success.’
‘Leave the world a little better than you found it,’ he said, ‘and when your time comes to die, you can die happy.’
Conclusion: 9 Lessons From Andrew Carnegie That Teach Us About Success
Andrew Carnegie was a self-made man who became one of the richest people in American history. He believed that everyone, no matter their background or upbringing, can have success if they are willing to work hard and put in the effort.
Carnegie said that ‘the wise man puts into his efforts more than he draws from them,’ and that ‘the extra effort is the fruitful effort.’
If you dream big, work hard, and put in the extra effort, you might be able to achieve your goals as well!
