Can't Not Do: The Compelling Social Drive that Changes Our World

Chapter 4Jeff Tollefson, Losing It All and Becoming RicherAre You Ready to Be Humble and Humbled?

Humility is the true key to success. Successful people lose their way at times.

They often embrace and overindulge from the fruits of success.

Humility halts this arrogance and self-indulging trap.

Humble people share the credit and wealth, remaining focused

and hungry to continue the journey of success.

—Rick Pitino, basketball coach, University of Louisville

Jeff Tollefson was an investment banker and a successful one at that. He told me, “I allowed my feelings of self-worth to be so closely tied to how I was doing in my professional career and, of course, the measuring stick for so much of that was monetary reward and you get caught up in that. Then, all of a sudden after the market crashes, people are saying you aren't all that good, how could we miss the downturn? It was humbling and really forced me to step back and think about what it was that provides value in my life. I knew there had to be something deeper.” He admits that he fell into that self-worth trap.

Jeff has a heart bigger than Minnesota. When I sit and talk with him, he has this constant air of forward-thinking optimism about him. He's an exceedingly likeable guy. You walk away from a conversation with Jeff rejuvenated and refreshed. Boy, I'd like to have more of what he has. Most people experiencing success and failure like Jeff's would fixate on the failure and get stuck in it, at least for a while. But Jeff ...