The Secret to a Long Career

We are pleased to welcome our newest contributor, award-winning author George Anders, who brings us a tour de force for the What We Read series.

When our daily routines are all about hitting quotas and getting the next shipment out the door, how do we sustain ourselves for the long haul? What's the secret formula that lets some people keep getting stronger and better as the years roll by, while others slowly fall apart?

I just finished reading "Johnny Cash: The Life" this month. The book isn't just a great biography of a country music legend; it's also a fine source of career advice. Lots of singers have the talent to create a few No. 1 hits. Hardly anyone has ever bounced back from trouble as many times as Cash did – ending up with a towering, nearly 50-year career that put his doubters to shame.