We enjoy reading their stories; stories of great men and women who against all odds not only found success but became legendary in the process.  Often, we think how such incredible achievements are fine for these people but in our own lives we are destined to remain in our meaningless rut.

Such thinking is a trap!  Avoid this at all cost as it serves no benefit but to poison your mind preventing you from maximizing your potential.     Like many, I too often ponder what makes some men great while others always struggle.  In my opinion, the common ingredients appear to be twofold: belief and unwavering determination.

 Have you ever had a moment when you felt deep within your core an unshakable confidence?  That is the essence of belief.  It is when you know you are doing right with every fiber of your being.    It’s what propelled a man like George Washington to continue on despite devastating loses. In fact, he lost almost every battle except the one that mattered the most.   He shook aside those who would betray him and ignored critics calling for his ouster.  Why?  Because he believed he was right.  He dismissed every other possibility but victory.    And like most men of greatness luck played a role. But luck is nothing more than the manifestation of faith. It took a rare fog to save his army from complete annihilation in New York.   When he needed something like a fog to save him, it appeared as if by magic.  When you experience such strange and times phenomenon, you are tapping into the power of faith, belief, or however you chose to define it.    It was as if his will created the very thing that could save him.  Can such really be possible?  

In business, self made men that created out of nothing thriving companies that employed thousands and bettered the lives of millions did not happen in an instant.  Men such as Andrew Carnige that risked everything he had both mentally and monetarily on an idea, helped to physically create the very nation we enjoy today.   

The examples are exhaustive but the theme remains true.  Faith, belief, confidence, name it what you will, but it is incredibly important.  It resides in you too.  If you think this is too cliche, you’re getting closer to your problem.  Too often today, our modern world has sapped us of our faith.   We want instant gratification or we quit.  We are unwilling to toil for years and reach the brink of failure only to wrestle success from its insidious grasp.  That’s what the winners do.   Equipped with incredible belief, they fight until they have no more fight to give.  

Are you a businessman struggling during this depressed economy and finding your money supply quickly evaporating?  How does a pep talk help you?  Well, I live in reality and I have learned that your spirit can remain strong by choice even as your financial state contracts.   When dollars are scare, will must replace it.  Whether you are presenting a better way to sell office supplies against fierce competition, or inventing a life saving medical device, the journey is often the same.  Success requires that we be willing to skate the line of failure.  It is the walk through fire that earns you the right to claim victory.  Some may achieve instant success but these cases are not the norm.  Dwelling on instant success will drain you and discourage you.   Focus instead on the feeling of your desired end result and nothing more.  This will serve as your fuel.

One of the greatest inventors of all time, Thomas Edison, tried over 6,000 times before he found the right filament to burn inside what would become the light bulb.   With it the world changed too.  How many of us would be persistent enough to do this?  How many would have given up after the 30th, the 50th, or ever the 15th time? The answer is those willing to be ordinary would have.  While my aspirations may be simpler, they I am required to be no less dedicated.   Armed with a cardscan and a few other office machines I am steadfast in my approach.  I want to sell millions of smead file folders through my company.  I want to challenge the big box supply stores in my industry because I believe I have a better way.  Now, I need only to stay the course.   You have opportunities within your field as well.

  Many of us were taught as kids that we can become or do whatever we want.  I don’t subscribe to that mindset because it can result in unrealistic expectations.  I do however believe that there is greatness in all of us.  The hard part is finding it nurturing it and confidently and doggedly pursuing it.   When your inner greatness is discovered, opportunities and luck will suddenly appear where they could not be found before.