What’s at Stake? Everything
Wednesday, March 31st, 2010What’s at Stake
Thomas Edison claimed to have failed over 10,000 times while trying to invent electricity. How was he able to stay so committed to achieving his desired goal after failing so much? Thomas Edison knew what was at stake. He knew that his legacy as one of the greatest inventors of all time depended on him inventing electricity.
Thomas Edison said, “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. If I find 10,000 ways something won’t work, I haven’t failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward.” He believed that every failure he experienced was only getting him closer to finding the solution to his problem. How many people would’ve quit when facing the same adversity as he faced?
It is almost impossible to achieve something extraordinary without experiencing some kind of setback or temporary defeat. One of my idols Napoleon Hill said, “No man ever achieved worthwhile success who did not, at one time or another, find himself with at least one foot hanging well over the brink of failure. One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary defeat.”
I can’t tell you how many times I have found myself on the brink of failure, only to succeed? It is one of life’s most rewarding feelings to know that you’ve succeeded when you were so close to failing. Have you found yourself in that position before? What kept you from throwing in the towel? I guarantee that you had too much to lose to quit.
Fear of Loss Or Hope For Gain?
When you set out to achieve something extraordinary, you must consider what’s at stake for you. What have you got to lose if you don’t make it? What do you have to gain when you achieve your desired goal? The more reasons why you have to achieve your desired goal, the more motivation and determination you will have to achieve your desired goal. The more reasons why you have behind your cause, the more committed you will stay when things don’t go your way.
Trust me, there will come a time when you are cruising down easy street on your way to achieving your goal and something is going to knock you so hard on your ass that you might not even know what hit you. When you are facing that painful feeling of failure, your judgement is not where it needs to be. That’s when that devilish little voice in your head is going to try to persuade you to quit. Lets face it, quitting is usually the easy thing to do. Everyone is doing it, its okay if you quit, right? Wrong, I’ve quit before and it sucks. There are still skeletons in my closet from throwing in the towel when I should’ve soldiered on. I can’t take that back, and neither can you. Do you have some quitting skeletons in your closet? We can’t change the past but we are in total control of our future. Its entirely up to us to make sure we never make the same mistake again. The best way to do that is to totally understand what’s at stake. Understand what you have to lose. Understand what you have to gain. Understand that you can achieve anything you believe.
Next Time I Will Persevere
The next time you find yourself on the brink of failure, its okay. Failure is a part of the journey. Failure is a chance to begin again more intelligently. Failure is just an outcome, that’s all it is, its just an outcome. Take a deep breath and focus on all the reasons why you have to keep on keeping on. Focus on everything you have to gain. Focus on everything you have to lose. The more reasons you have, the more empowered you will be. Anyone can quit when the going gets tough. It takes a real winner to persevere in the face of adversity. If I can do it, then so can you. Winners never quit and quitters never win.