10 Victory Lessons Learned From Jon Stewart in Honor of his "Daily Show" Legacy

It is difficult to believe that Jon Stewart has hosted "The Daily Show" for over 15 years.  Some of us remember his first show as if it were yesterday.  Stewart began hosting the late-night talk and news satire program in 1999.

Jon Stewart has done a flawless job of delivering the truth with humor.  His uncanny ability to frame important issues of the day will be very difficult to duplicate.

Stewart's final show will be Thursday night and he will certainly be missed.  It is hard to imagine Stewart not sitting at "The Daily Show's" desk yet his influence will live on.  Thank you Jon.

Here are 10 Victory Lessons that we can learn from Jon Stewart:

ONE
Transform life's lemons into lemonade.
Jon Stewart was bullied when he was younger as a rare Jewish kid in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.  Stewart developed the ability to deflect the bullying with humor.

TWO
Work while you wait.
Jon Stewart worked numerous odd jobs prior to finding his niche in comedy: bartender, soccer coach, busboy.

THREE
Overcome your insecurities.
Jon Stewart's parents divorced when Stewart was nine years old, and Stewart was estranged from his father.  Because of his complicated relationship with his father, Stewart had his surname changed in 2001.



FOUR
Lighten the burdens of another.
Jon Stewart worked as a puppeteer on shows for children with disabilities.  Stewart performed skits to teach children without disabilities how to relate to children with emotional and physical issues.

FIVE
Knowledge is having the right answer.  Intelligence is asking the right question.
Stewart is one of the small number of talk show host with the courage to pose the right questions at the right time and in the right way.



SIX
Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.
They say, "If you are the smartest person in the room, then you are in the wrong room."  Jon Stewart understands the importance of working with gifted individuals including Stephen Colbert, Jessica Williams and John Oliver.

SEVEN
Try to be better than the person you were yesterday.
Stewart's goal was to "always be better than I was at the present time at what I was doing." He work ethic could have came from the years he played soccer for the College of William and Mary.  His legacy on the team lives on in the form of the Leibo award, given annually in recognition of good humor and hard work.

EIGHT
Diversify your interests.
Jon Stewart has authored several books, produced numerous television shows and he recently began directing films.  Earlier in his life he was a great soccer player and even a puppeteer.

NINE
Assess your situation prior to making a final decision.
Jon Stewart took a three-month break in 2013 to direct the film Rosewater.  Stewart wanted to give life without 'The Daily Show' a test-run before making his final decision.

TEN
Go out on top.
2015 finds Jon Stewart at the absolute height of his powers.  'The Daily Show' is currently number one among younger viewers by a wide margin.