Take a Turn at Tenacious!

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius willnot; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world isfull of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone areomnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve theproblems of the human race." Calvin Coolidge

I have worked with many successful people; people who have achieved thekinds of lives they have dreamed about. I have also worked with many peoplewho are not anywhere near where they want to be in life. Many times thosewho are not successful resent those who are and believe that somehow successwas handed to those who have achieved much.

What I have found however is that actually the reverse is true. Those whohave achieved much have worked much HARDER than those who are notsuccessful. You wouldn't believe the stories of struggle that I hear fromthose who now appear to on "top of the heap." Yes, they are successful, butno, it wasn't handed to them! And I find that most of the unsuccessfulpeople who come to me actually haven't been tenacious at all. I find thatwith many of the people I speak to who complain about their lack of successsimply haven't persevered and been tenacious. When I ask them questions Iusually get excuses. Yes, there are exceptions on both sides, but I findthis to be almost universally true.

If you are one who finds yourself dreaming of a better life, or looking atsomeone who "has it made," I would ask you to take a long, deep look inwardand at your life to find whether or not you have actually been tenacious inpursuit of your dreams. How long have you gone for it? Many people whoachieve much go for YEARS before they achieve what their hearts long for?How hard have you gone for it? Most people who achieve much have given upmuch. They have sacrificed much. They strive valiantly for what it is thatresides deep in their dreams. They just plain ol' work hard!

So what are the principles of tenacity? What do you need to know in order totake your turn at the tenacious? Here are some thoughts to start your fireand get you going!

1. Sometimes you just have to outlast the others.

"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have letgo." William Feather

I have found that many people start on their dreams but most never finish.Then those who stop resent those who make it. The truth is that most peoplewho become successful have simply mastered the art of keeping on keeping on!I myself can remember early on in my career when I would get discouraged andI literally said to myself, "One more week. Just give it one more week."Quite frankly, this is what got me through a couple of years of my workearly on. I hung on as others let go.

It is easy to get disheartened. Ask those who have achieved success if theyever got disheartened and you will find some of the most amazing stories youhave ever heard. Give it a try: Go to the most successful person you knowand ask them if they ever thought about quitting. Ask them how they kept ongoing. You will be amazed at what you hear.

2. Sometimes you just have to hold on at the end.

"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." FranklinRoosevelt

I wonder how many people have quit just as they would have begun theirentrance into success? Sure there are many who quit at the first sign ofhard work, but what about those who, after the tenth time of trial then giveup, just as fate would have seen them go through one last hurdle and theninto the promised land? How many people were on their last hurdle anddecided not to jump? How many people had just one more mountain pass to go?Or just one more river to cross?

Of course we will never know, but certainly some of the people who quit aredoing so on what would have been their last trial, right?

So what does this mean for you? For me it means I do not quit because Iwould hate to find out later that all I needed was just one last effort andI would have achieved my goal. What if it isn't my last trial? That's okaybecause as long as I keep going, eventually I will get to my last trial, Iwill overcome it, and I will enter the Winner's Circle.

3. Sometimes the most beautiful results come from dull things underpressure.

"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs."Malcolm Forbes

If coal wasn't an inanimate object it would certainly scream, "Stop! I wantout!" But that coal, when facing incredible pressure, is turned into one ofearth's most precious possessions. Ugly, dirty old coal is transformed intobeautiful diamonds.

Instead of looking at pressure and trials as the reason to quit, gettenacious and see them as the very thing that will make your life thebeautiful thing that you desire it to be. See it as your opportunity tolearn, to grow, and to be transformed. See these trials as the very thingsthat will enable you to have the life that dream of!

Trials will surely come. Life will get hard. You will want to quit.

Then you will have a choice: Will you give up? Or will you take your turn attenacious. The choice you make will determine much of the rest of your life.

My advice? Take your turn at tenacious. You will become stronger, and youwill end up living the life you dream of!

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

To see Chris "live" at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.