The Clifton Review 

The Clifton Review is a tri-weekly column that examines the question of the Clifton project along with the evolution of the war between two billionaires. We covered the start of this war with articles describing the battle over easement rights, the mysterious burning of a home, the blocks to rebuilding, and countless questionable court filings.

The 2018 series salutes fashion mogul Peter Nygård’s Golden Jubilee detailing his rags to riches story and incredible business success over these past fifty years. The Clifton Review will take an inside look at how he did it. 

Making The Best Of The Hand We Are Dealt

By P.J. Malone

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”  George Eliot (Pen name of Mary Anne Evans)

Trying to achieve our dreams can be discouraging at times. One of the things that stops us was expressed by Fashion mogul Peter Nygard: “We feel like we are too young or too old to do certain things.”

However, what better example is there than Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel Sanders to know that it is never too late? The business magazine Inc wrote an online article about inspiring people who found success later in life. It gave this account of Colonel Sanders:

“Sanders was ‘a failure who got fired from a dozen jobs before starting his restaurant, and then failed at that when he went out of business and found himself broke at the age of 65,’ according to one account. But then things worked out when he sold the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in 1952.” (Inc.com)

Imagine that? Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel Sanders was past sixty-five when he experienced great achievement. I’d say that shows you are never too old to go after your dreams!

Another thing that can stop us in our tracks is feeling like we don’t have the money or the advantages in life or the right opportunities presented to us.

In Nygard’s speech to a graduating class that we previously discussed, he shared some interesting insights about success. He asserted that you don’t have to be wealthy to achieve success. 

You may not have money but he feels you have other valuable possessions. He expressed that our mind, our abilities, our unique and individual talents, and our time are all our possessions that we have been given.

So really, you don’t even need to be born into the right circumstances—with rich parents—as some people may feel is necessary. As a kid, Peter Nygard was poor for a period in his life. Yet, he was able to use his ‘possessions’ to rise up to a level of becoming a mega-millionaire as have others.

Colonel Sanders started out with nothing as well. Biography.com describes Colonel Sanders start in life this way:

“Colonel Harland David Sanders was born on September 9, 1890, in Henryville, Indiana. After his father died when he was 6 years old, Sanders became responsible for feeding and taking care of his younger brother and sister. Beginning at the age of 10, he held down numerous jobs, including farmer, streetcar conductor, railroad fireman and insurance salesman.”

Sanders made use of his valuable possession of knowing how to make a ‘mean’ fried chicken. The story is told that he ran a gas station along a route where lots of travelers would stop, and he started offering fried chicken to these hungry people.

He didn’t have a start up fund. He started by using his skill set.

What skills and talents do you have that are valuable possessions that can be put to good use in helping you achieve your dreams? How can you turn your unique abilities into gold?

Chances are you have what it takes. As Peter Nygard contends, you simply need to become “totally dedicated towards your goal”. 

In his speech he underscored this point: “Think about anyone who has achieved a mark in sports, in social work, in business or anything at all and you will find them completely dedicated to their cause. They eat it, drink it—they practice it constantly. You must become a professional in your undertaking. You must practice it so well that you know more about it than anybody else, everything else must come second.”

Will you become dedicated and do what it takes?

By P.J. Malone

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”  George Eliot (Pen name of Mary Anne Evans)

Trying to achieve our dreams can be discouraging at times. One of the things that stops us was expressed by Fashion mogul Peter Nygard: “We feel like we are too young or too old to do certain things.”

However, what better example is there than Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel Sanders to know that it is never too late? The business magazine Inc wrote an online article about inspiring people who found success later in life. It gave this account of Colonel Sanders:

“Sanders was ‘a failure who got fired from a dozen jobs before starting his restaurant, and then failed at that when he went out of business and found himself broke at the age of 65,’ according to one account. But then things worked out when he sold the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in 1952.” (Inc.com)

Imagine that? Kentucky Fried Chicken Colonel Sanders was past sixty-five when he experienced great achievement. I’d say that shows you are never too old to go after your dreams!

Another thing that can stop us in our tracks is feeling like we don’t have the money or the advantages in life or the right opportunities presented to us.

In Nygard’s speech to a graduating class that we previously discussed, he shared some interesting insights about success. He asserted that you don’t have to be wealthy to achieve success. 

You may not have money but he feels you have other valuable possessions. He expressed that our mind, our abilities, our unique and individual talents, and our time are all our possessions that we have been given.

So really, you don’t even need to be born into the right circumstances—with rich parents—as some people may feel is necessary. As a kid, Peter Nygard was poor for a period in his life. Yet, he was able to use his ‘possessions’ to rise up to a level of becoming a mega-millionaire as have others.

Colonel Sanders started out with nothing as well. Biography.com describes Colonel Sanders start in life this way:

“Colonel Harland David Sanders was born on September 9, 1890, in Henryville, Indiana. After his father died when he was 6 years old, Sanders became responsible for feeding and taking care of his younger brother and sister. Beginning at the age of 10, he held down numerous jobs, including farmer, streetcar conductor, railroad fireman and insurance salesman.”

Sanders made use of his valuable possession of knowing how to make a ‘mean’ fried chicken. The story is told that he ran a gas station along a route where lots of travelers would stop, and he started offering fried chicken to these hungry people.

He didn’t have a start up fund. He started by using his skill set.

What skills and talents do you have that are valuable possessions that can be put to good use in helping you achieve your dreams? How can you turn your unique abilities into gold?

Chances are you have what it takes. As Peter Nygard contends, you simply need to become “totally dedicated towards your goal”. 

In his speech he underscored this point: “Think about anyone who has achieved a mark in sports, in social work, in business or anything at all and you will find them completely dedicated to their cause. They eat it, drink it—they practice it constantly. You must become a professional in your undertaking. You must practice it so well that you know more about it than anybody else, everything else must come second.”

Will you become dedicated and do what it takes?