You Are the Pilot of Your Own Destiny

R.J. Wrigley, the founder and president of Wrigley Chewing Gum, was one of the first businessmen to take full advantage of advertising.

While his competitors were spending thousands of dollars on advertising, Wrigley was spending millions. In the 1940s it was hard to open a newspaper or drive by a billboard without seeing a promotion for Wrigley Chewing Gum.

During a commercial flight to an important board meeting, a passenger interrupted Wrigley as he was preparing for the meeting and asked, “Mr. Wrigley, perhaps you could answer a question that has been bothering me for a long time: Why do you continue to advertise your gum when your company already sells more gum than all competitors combined?”

Wrigley looked up from his paperwork, scowled at the man and replied, “I keep advertising for the same reason the pilot of this airplane keeps the engines running after we are already in the air.”

Just think about his answer for a moment, because the principle is the same whether you are talking about advertising…. Flying a plane… or growing as a person.

If you want to arrive at a destination, you have to keep the engines running. You will need to refuel between flights…. You will need to check in for regular maintenance … and you may have to undergo major repairs from time to time. But never forget that you are the pilot of your own destiny. And the decision to keep the engines running or to stay parked on the ground is yours and yours alone.