In the fourth chapter of my book Get Back Up I talk about meeting my lifelong friend Mark Johnson, or just Johnson, as I have called him for years.

Johnson and I met in 1969 and we remain friends to this day, seeing each other often. Johnson was from the type of family where the parents worked and the kids could be kids. As I mention in the book, Johnson had stuff. I didn’t have stuff. Most of all, though, Johnson was curious about everything while I was just trying to survive.

Meeting Johnson opened up a whole new world to me. While I had no idea (or didn’t care) why we needed to learn the things we were learning in school, Johnson was always quick to point out the practical applications of our new-found knowledge. Johnson was also always up on the latest technologies. In those days the new technology was calculators that could add and subtract and computer kits that you could assemble and program.

Johnson not only knew how stuff worked, he knew how life worked. While I was mouthing off in school and getting thrown out of class, he was always able to talk his way out of trouble. He also knew about salad forks, top sheets, and that the biggest steak wasn’t necessarily the best steak. Hanging out with Johnson meant that I would learn these things too.

Johnson’s curiosity was contagious. He always wanted to know the reason for things and how they worked. He would never accept statements like “That’s just the way it is,” or “That’s the way we’ve always done it.” Once he knew how something worked or the way it was done, he wanted to find a better way to work it or do it.

Soon I was just as curious as Johnson and when the first computer kits came out, my curiosity set me on a path that would eventually lead to a great career at Microsoft, but as readers of my book know, that journey would take many years and include many life lessons along the way.

Lessons:

  1. Always be curious; knowledge is power.
  2. The first words spoken begin the negotiation, they don’t end it.
  3. Just because something has always been done a certain way doesn’t mean it can’t be done in a different—or better—way.
  4. When it comes to steak, bigger isn’t always better.

George A. Santino helps people who want to break down barriers, including self-imposed barriers, to success. Check out his Amazon bestselling book, Get Back Up: From the Streets to Microsoft Suites.