Leave it to Benjamin Franklin to voice simple truths. He understood the two certainties in life and business. We are always judged by others, and change is constant. He put it in simple terms of the day—taxes and death. A tax being the assessment or judgment of government and death represents the ultimate human change. Belief in the concept of Two Certainties—that we are judged by others and that change is an inevitable and a continuing part of business and life—is a prerequisite for success. Unless you are guided by that principal, you will not experience purposeful success. Yes, it is possible to experience accidental success—your fifteen minutes of fame—but never long-term sustained success.
For purposeful long-term success, an enterprise must be solidly anchored by a belief in the Two Certainties—we will always be judged by others and change is constant. What we are is determined through the judgment of others, and either we purposely change to improve or natural forces erode and change us for the worse.
