…another of my favorite quotes
This quote by one of my mentors, Bill Lear, reflects an attitude he literally engrained in me during the time I spent as his protege. A man of few words, he occasionally let spill some glimmering shards from his store of razor-sharp wisdom:
Leave your mark on the world…
“ … To get there, what you need is an idea! Too many never arrive because they haven’t decided where they’re trying to get to. “ – Bill Lear
Most people never plan to do something great … and so they don’t.
You can’t achieve a goal you never set. And the reason most people don’t set a goal is that they never take the time to decide just what it is they want to accomplish.
To leave a mark — your mark — on the world, start with an idea. Choose what you want to do. Set a goal, bring it clearly into focus, and stick to it tenaciously … and the world will be a better place for it!
– Roger Billings
William P. Lear (1902-1978) — inventor, businessman, and one of the
outstanding pioneers of aviation. Lear has to his credit a long list of cutting edge technologies, among which are these:
* Created a radio small enough to fit into automobiles, which was the beginning of “Motorola.”
* Developed the F-5 autopilot with a control for landing aircraft in “zero-zero” weather, for which he received the Collier Trophy in 1949
* Designed and manufactured the Lear Jet — a radically new jet-powered business aircraft, unveiled in 1963
* Developed the Lear Jet Stereo 8, which became know as the “8-track” stereo system, 1964
* Initiated the design of the Lear-Fan, a high-efficiency, turbine powered pusher-propeller driven business type airplane in 1977, which finally saw its maiden flight 2 years after his death
In 1972, Bill personally flew me in his Lear Jet to Reno, NV, where I had the remarkable opportunity of working daily at his side, gleaning practical knowledge and experience that would help shape my career and my life.