Over the last few weeks, we’ve explored how we can cultivate persistent attitudes. We have talked about why we need to persist to capture success in any area of our lives, along with the importance of a healthy response to setbacks and failures. We also reviewed how important it is to maintain a positive attitude as we travel the road to success, and then we discussed taking a proactive approach to challenges so that we are not victims of circumstances or of others. Finally, we explored the importance of looking for life lessons in the challenges we face in order to see these trying times as a gift.
When dealing with any challenge or adversity, it’s important to think of ourselves as powerful and strong—believing we will always resolve to act under any circumstance. When we resolve to never give up, success is virtually guaranteed, for nothing can or will stop us but ourselves. Don’t be surprised when setbacks happen; they can and will happen to everyone multiple times. Instead, expect disappointments and setbacks to occur as part of the road to success.
We all need to remember that it’s not how far we fall…but how far we bounce back.
Persistence is an acquired trait, so we should aim to bounce back each time we fall more quickly than the last. Resiliency in times of challenges is a key to long-term success. The primary difference between “winners” and “losers” in life is simple: “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” – Vince Lombardi
I’ve always believed that if the road to success is feeling easy, I’m probably going the wrong way. Any worthwhile pursuit in life needs difficult elements in it. This principle is expressed well by a late U.S. president: “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” – Theodore Roosevelt
The best way to resolve to act is to find your fight! Let me explain. If you enjoy going to the gym as I do, you probably also hate the gym in January and February. Think of all those “January Joiners” crowding the parking lot and changing rooms—and there’s always someone on your favorite treadmill! Like clockwork, come March, everything is back to normal. Why do so many New Year’s resolutions fail? Is it lack of willpower? Lack of motivation? Absolutely not!
Most people don’t know their long-term “Why” and haven’t developed their “Why Power”—their will to fight. Think about this: if I offered you $20 to cross a 10-foot plank on the ground, would you? Of course; it’s easy money. What if the plank was straddling two 100-story buildings? Not a chance! But what if the other building was on fire with a loved one inside needing rescue…would you cross the plank? Forget the $20; you’d do it for nothing in a heartbeat! Your “Why Power” would lead to a will to fight and get across that plank—not once, but twice! As we enter into the new year, do you know your “Why Power” for your 2014 goals?
We all need to work on committing to ourselves in advance that we’ll never give up. I know this is something that has played a hand in others’ successes, and I can tell you with confidence that if you commit to never give up, your long-term success is almost guaranteed. Remember, nothing can stop you except yourself! Every time your self-discipline pushes you to persist, you increase your self-confidence. You will feel stronger and more powerful, and, most important, you will be unstoppable!
It’s not fate—or someone else—that controls our outcomes. It’s up to each of us to find the “Why” and the will to fight! As Robert Strauss once said, “Success is a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.” Passion will get you motivated, but determination will ensure you fight the good fight.
