As I have watched and studied thousands of want-to-be entrepreneurs over my career, I have learned a lot about what it really takes to succeed at a high level.  While there are many things that go into achieving great success, there is one common attribute I’ve seen in 100% of the people who have gone on to attain greatness.

Do you have persistence?

If you have set big goals for your life, the only way you will achieve them is by being persistent. Why?  Because achieving anything worthwhile is a journey through life’s battlefield that requires a sustained effort over an extended period of time.  Read the biographies of successful people and you won’t find one who said it was easy or fast.

The road to reaching your goals will be filled with roadblocks that will require you to modify your course. You will experience pounding hailstorms that will beat the tar out of you and cause you to question whether it is worth it. You will have people telling you that you will never make it. There is a reason there is very little traffic when going the extra mile.

What is critical to understand is achieving a high level of success at anything is very difficult, which is why so few people enjoy the rewards that come with reaching their goals.  My life experiences have taught me most people (95%+) quit when times get tough.

Years ago, I had a fellow Realtor tell me that 99 out of 100 people who go to real estate school don’t renew their license the next year. Not only did these people not have the persistence to win, they didn’t have the resolve in their bones to do more than get their licenses.  What a tragedy!

What type of persistence does it take to win?

If you are going to win, you must be mentally prepared to face your challenges head-on. You must know it’s not going to be easy. You must be strong enough to fight through disappointments, failures, and times of discouragement. You must be patient, because achieving anything worthwhile takes time.

Most importantly, if you are giving your best and making measurable progress, you must never give up.  When you quit, you are throwing the towel in the ring and saying “I give up.”  While there are times to give up, as I pointed out in my post When Quitting is the Best Decision You Can Make, those times should be the exception if you are making good decisions.

What is your biggest goal?

When you look at your goals, what is the one goal that is really important to you? (Don’t continue until you have it selected.)

Is that goal important enough to you that you will stay the course and do what is required of you to win?  When you get down and discouraged, are you strong enough to pick yourself up by the bootstraps and continue with the attitude of a winner?

Here is what I know: you can achieve anything that is important to you if you are willing to pay the price required to succeed. The great thing about success is it cannot be purchased; it is available to anyone who is willing to work hard, remain disciplined, and persevere.

I want to challenge you to step up your game.  Push harder than you have ever pushed yourself before.  When you get down, remind yourself that everyone gets down, but the difference between you and many others is that you are a winner and not a quitter.  Believe you are a winner and you will win.

During the darkest hour is when the winners in life dig deep inside to gather the strength to win.

Entrepreneurship, Excellence, Failure, Goals, Sales

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