The markets traded mixed for much of the day, ending an otherwise subpar week as far as the averages go. 2012 has been a solid year thus far and once again for dividend investors.

Monthly retail sales and jobless claims numbers came out this morning, and much of the data was positive. Some of today’s bigger retail sector winners included TJX Companies (TJX) and Ross Stores (ROST). Non-dividend play Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) spiked 8% higher following a big earnings beat. I have to think the company will consider implementing a dividend program at some point.

As for retail names not faring as well following monthly sales updates, The Buckle (BKE) and Kohl’s (KSS) ended the day in the red. Elsewhere, we did see investors continue to gravitate toward key brands such as Mastercard (MA) and Starbucks (SBUX), as these two names tend to catch the attention of momentum traders on a daily basis.

Quick note: The market is closed for trading tomorrow due to the Good Friday holiday, and will be back to its regular schedule on Monday. We’ll still be sending out a Friday newsletter as well as the normal weekend newsletter to Premium subscribers.

Most people may not know that natural foods superpower Whole Foods (WFM) began as a vegetarian food store in an old Victorian home. The company now has more than 300 supermarkets and 48,000 employees.

CEO and Founder John Mackey had three goals from the onset: make a living, have fun, and help a few people live healthier by eating better. He had a focus and kept it simple as long as he could, but when the opportunity came to grow, he took it and ran. The company is now worth over $15 billion by today’s share price. Success didn’t come overnight, however, as his dream all began with that one small store back in 1978.

People often have a much-too-short timeline in which they expect to see big results. Quick hits are few and far between, so after spelling out your main goals (such as owning your own business, generating six figures form new income sources, retiring as early as possible, etc.), be sure to allow yourself a long enough time runway to let things materialize.

Jumping from one career to the next and not putting in the roots to learn the niche you believe will bring you the fortunes you crave is not the right roadmap. Have a purpose and build several strategies around your field of interest as you set forth in your journey.

You may wonder who uttered that phrase. Well, it was none other than Donald Trump himself. You certainly can never deny Mr. Trump’s ability to go big in most everything he does. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t, but the point is, he’s never going to be content to fall to the bottom of the pack in any industry he gets involved with. He rode the real estate cycles up and got hurt some when they went down. But he did bounce back from the down times and rebuilt his empire, eventually spreading his brand over other verticals. Like him or not, you can’t argue that he is well-recognized and well-respected when it comes to the world of business.

For many of us who one day hope to get a good sliver of success, we can do well by ourselves to adopt a “think big” approach when opportunity presents itself. You can’t think big if you lack the experience in your field that can cement your place among the top players, so putting your time in is key. That said, all the while you are paying your dues, you should never take your eye off the big prize.

Keep this in mind as you carry on your mission to get to a place you feel financially and professionally secure in your achievements.

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We recently updated our list of dividend stocks that have been paying out dividends for 25 years or more. Be sure to check out the latest list of names here.

Financial blog DailyReckoning.com recently took a look at the difference dividend payouts made in the overall return investors saw throughout the prior decades. Here are some of the highlights:

- The Nasdaq is down 28% since the end of 1999. Even the “blue chip” S&P 500 stocks are down 15% during that time frame…until you add back those “boring” dividends. With dividends included, the S&P 500′s 15% loss flips to a 6% gain.

- Without dividends, the S&P 500 index would have produced a loss for the 25 long years from August 1929 to August 1954. Then again, without dividends, the S&P 500 produced a 5% loss during the 13 years from September 1961 to September 1974. But with dividends included, the S&P’s loss became a 46% gain.

- Over the course of the last half-century, dividends have contributed more than half of the stock market’s total return — 56%, to be exact.

Of course, you can’t discuss the potency of dividend investing without making mention of how awesome compound returns are. I can’t stress enough the power of compound interest: you take a small amount of money and turn it into a large amount over time. Finding the right companies at the right price points which not only grow earnings, but also grow their dividend payouts as well!

Be sure to check out our weekly Top 50 High-Yield Watchlist Names post that is out today, exclusively for Dividend.com Premium members. This list gives readers a good idea of what stocks we’re watching behind the scenes here for potential upgrades.

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Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the Best Dividend Stocks, as well as a detailed explanation of our ratings system here.