The most successful people are not the smartest people in the world, but they are men and women who are willing to do whatever it takes to be successful, a motivational speaker said Tuesday.Jim Jacobus, president of Champion Education Resources, wore a button that said “I love my wife” and a smile as he spoke about living a compelling life during the Martin Delta Gamma Memorial Lectureship in Values and Ethics.

Jacobus said rights and responsibilities are like the two sides of a coin and are valued only when both sides are intact.

To live a compelling life, both these behaviors should be followed, Jacobus said. He also said giving respect to people is important because putting people in high esteem puts them in high esteem.

Jacobus focused on principles he said were essential for people to see themselves as being of extraordinary value. Some of the principles involved being passionate, committed, having a vision and learning every day.

Jacobus said great attitude is a habit and it is important to be passionate about everything in life.

“I believe everybody in this room was created to do something extraordinary,” he said. “If you have what it takes to do what you are passionate about, you will have all the money you will ever want.”

Similarly, Jacobus said, people who are not committed to their work or have lost it need to reassure themselves they will do whatever it takes to remain committed.

“And there is no ‘but’ in the end of that statement,” he added.

Students need to have a vision in their lives and remember that even after graduating, they will be learning one way or the other, Jacobus said.

“This should be nothing other than preparation for learning how to continue to learn forever,” he said. “As long as we are learning, we are living. The moment we stop learning, we slowly start to die.”

Natasha Chapman, associate director of the TCU Leadership Center, said Jacobus is the father of TCU student Jason Jacobus.

Jason Jacobus introduced his father and said everything he has learned from his father has had a great impact on his life.

Kristen Berry, a sophomore psychology major, attended the lecture.

Berry said she is planning to go to graduate school for industrial organizational psychology that would entail consulting large corporations and building leadership. Jacobus is a motivational keynote speaker who works for big firms and Berry said she was there to hear him speak.

“Basically, there is a good chance I might be doing what he (Jacobus) does one day,” Berry said.

The lectureship was a collaborative effort of Student Development Services, Delta Gamma and Campus Life.