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The Presence of Perseverance
“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” Calvin Coolidge
One of the main characteristics I find in unsuccessful people is that they look at successful people and think that it must have been easy for them to achieve that success. They think that the successful person must have been lucky, or was born into the right family, or somehow hasn’t been plagued with the obstacles that all the “regular” people have.
What they don’t realize is that every successful person faces obstacles, even if they got a head start in life. Every successful person has to overcome hardships, defeat problems and persevere into their success.
Here is something I say in most of my speeches:
“The difference between the successful and the unsuccessful is not the absence of obstacles, but the presence of perseverance.”
Everybody has obstacles. The successful have perseverance. When faced with a challenge, the successful press through while the unsuccessful make excuses and quit.
It takes tenacity to get to the top, no matter what field you are in. This includes Direct Selling. You are going to face hardships. People will disappoint you. You will have setbacks. There will be obstacles. Mountains to climb, rivers to cross and valleys to trudge through. Successful people persevere. And because they persevere they also get to experience the greatness of success. They get the rewards that come from pushing through to the end!
“Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs.” Malcolm Forbes
Instead of looking at pressure and trials as the reason to quit, get tenacious, persevere and see obstacles as the very thing that will make your life the beautiful thing that you desire it to be. Just as we see the pressure on coal turns it into diamonds, see the hard times as your opportunity to learn, to grow, and to be transformed. See these trials as the very things that will make you stronger and allow you to live your dream life!
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 persevere? The choice you make will determine much of the rest of your life.
My advice? Persevere. That’s what all successful people do.
I look forward to speaking to each and every one of you at ACN’s International Training Event in Los Angeles, both from the main stage and at the leadership event! I have a brand new speech on Transformational Leadership that I am really excited about. See you there!
Chris Widener
Chris Widener is a personal development and leadership expert who has authored over 450 articles and 9 books, Including a New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller. He will be ACN’s Special Guest Speaker at our International Training Event in Los Angeles, CA June 21-23, 2013. To register for the event, visit http://ow.ly/kZy8U. For a special video message from Chris Widener, visit: http://youtu.be/RqF_JrSxk0U
