You Don't Have to Be So Smart

OK, so I’ve made mistakes this week. What else is new? I accidentally sent out my newest version of the “Getting Organized” series to subscribers before it was really ready. I didn’t realize it would go out. Oops. I still don’t even know what I did wrong. Lucky for me, everyone seems to like the new series.

I have a hard time with all this technology. I spent Monday and Tuesday doing things over and over and over and over again until I got it just right. I wasn’t going to leave it to come back to some future day that wouldn’t come. I’ve done that too many times. NO- this time I was going to get it right if it killed me! Believe me - I was in tears a couple of times.

So, when I am a millionaire, it won’t be because I’m so smart. It will be purely because of bull-headed determination and persistence.

I’m in good company though. Thomas Edison reportedly didn’t do too well in school. He tried way more times than I ever would in his quest to invent the light-bulb. Some accounts say 999 times, others say 10,000 times. Who knows. All I know is, that’s a lot of determination and persistence.

There’s stories of hundreds of people who made it just because they were determined to. They just kept trying and trying, and trying.

Look at science. How many times do they try before they find what they are looking for? How many years of trying does it take to find the cause of an illness, and then the cure?

Any light-bulbs going off for you?

You don’t have to be all that smart. You just have to be determined and persistent. Don’t quit until you get what you want. No matter how long it takes.

Have you ever heard the advice, “wash, rinse, repeat”? No, I’m not talking about your favorite shampoo. It’s advice given in various success trainings. The theory is –

once you have attained success, you can do it again and again. Well, I think I’ve maybe finally made it to rinse. But I’ve been stuck in wash for 6 years now. Round and round and round.

I wish I could talk to people like Cornel Sanders who traveled around the country trying to sell his chicken recipe and being turned down time and time again, or Abraham Lincoln – losing numerous elections, and having a nervous breakdown before finally reaching success. I would love to hear from them just how people like this keep going. But I suspect I already know the answer. You just do.

You have to want it really badly to stick it out – through all the obstacles, frustrations, and tears. But if you really, really, really want it, you can do it. Just make sure you have your blinders on to all the people trying to sell you the ‘easy’ way.

Success is not easy. Never has been. Never will be. There’s no magic genie. You can’t just chant and make it so. So get over all that garbage. Make yourself a plan and get to work. The longer you wait, the longer it will take.

Do you want it bad enough? Bad enough to work on it for the next 5, or 7, or 10 years if that’s what it takes?

95% of you will say no. That is statistically proven. But for the remaining 5% - Go for it!

You can’t beat the feeling you get when things start to finally come together. Think about a time when you were successful at something. You bowled a great game. You hit that golf ball perfectly. You landed a sales contract. You landed a great job. You got an award. Whatever it was. Didn’t that feel great? Close your eyes and remember it.

Imagine how it will feel when you finally reach your destination.

Now - Go Make it Happen!

If you’re too bogged down in everyday life to even think about trying to reach your goals, stop by CommonSenseLiving.com and get some help.