“I will live this day as if it is my last.” - from The Scroll Marked V, The Greatest Salesman In the World by Og Mandino

I’ll never forget the scene in “Dead Poets’ Society” when Robin Williams lines his students up in the hallway in front of the pictures of students from years past and whispers in their ears, “Carpe diem, boys…seize the day”. The Scroll Marked V reminds us of this valuable lesson in a powerful way: don’t just seize the day…seize it as if it were your last!

I encourage you to consider that everything you’ve ever been told about guilt and worry is wrong (that is, unless you’ve been fortunate enough to be told that they are both wasted energy). Unscrupulous and/or misguided parents, teachers, leaders and managers have for centuries used guilt and worry to manipulate those under their supervision to do what was expected of them; that kind of manipulation is certainly effective at motivating in the short-term, but the long-term stress it causes ultimately destroys any motivation and puts the subject in a state of constant, immobilizing fear.

Have a look around and you’ll see what I mean. Way back in 1854, Henry David Thoreau identified the cumulative effect of this kind of manipulation when he wrote that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desparation”. How many of your friends, neighbors and co-workers does that describe? The problem, of course, is fear. Fear that yesterday’s transgressions will somehow prevent us from succeeding today; fear, too, that we won’t be up to the challenges that tomorrow presents.

That’s all wrong, though. The sole purpose of guilt and anxiety is to motivate us to behave differently, not to paralyze us. Feeling guilty about some past wrongdoing is okay so long as it moves us to do everything in our power not to repeat the pattern; wallowing in guilt to the point that we can’t move beyond it is missing the point. And anxiety over our future should move us to do everything we can, so long as we can, to make sure that future is bright; becoming paralyzed by the anxiety and worry is foolish.

The past and the future have one very important thing in common: you have no control over either. Fretting about things you have no control over is self-destructive. Wouldn’t you be much better served if you expended that same energy on the now, the only moment you have any control over? Of course you would. And yet so many of us struggle with remaining firmly rooted in the present moment. What can we do to make the most of the now? Mandino tells us:

“I will avoid with fury the killers of time. Procrastination I will destroy with action; doubt I will bury under faith; fear I will dismember with confidence. Where there are idle mouths I will listen not; where there are idle hands I will linger not; where there are idle bodies I will visit not. Henceforth I know that to court idleness is to steal food, clothing, and warmth from those I love. I am not a thief. I am a man of love and today is my last chance to prove my love and my greatness.”

The key is to recognize the destruction wrought by guilt and anxiety and to seize each day, each moment as if it were your last. How do you want to spend your last minutes? Worrying about a past you can’t change or a future you can’t control? Those aren’t fatalistic questions; they’re a wake-up call that should cause us to stop and assess how we’re spending our minutes. Are you spending yours wisely?

If, for whatever reason, you haven’t been living up to your potential, you get to start again today. You can choose, right NOW, this very moment, to start again. That’s the beauty of being present: each moment is NOW and can be a fresh start on your path to success. All you have to do is decide how to spend this moment, then this one, and again this one.

If you’ll choose to exercise that control and to spend each day living as if it’s your last on this earth, you’ll live a life full of purpose. And whatever your chosen path or profession, pursuing it fully on purpose will make you a great success.

“I will live this day as if it is my last. And if it is not, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks.”

“I am nature’s greatest miracle.” - from The Scroll Marked IV, The Greatest Salesman In the World by Og Mandino

By now I hope it’s clear that the path to becoming the greatest salesperson (or anything else) in the world is mainly an effort made with your attitude and beliefs rather than your skills and methods. The greatest challenge a salesperson has to overcome to acheive success is the challenge of mastering his or her own mind! The first three scrolls have taught us the importance of optimism, love and persistence. The fourth scroll sets out the importance of a healthy dose of self-esteem.

Without a proper view of yourself, success is next to impossible. The person who constantly degrades himself is assured of fulfilling his own prophecies. I have a question for you: when is the last time you gave yourself a little encouragement? We are ususally so quick to condemn ourselves as failures that we often forget how truly wonderful and miraculous we are. Just the fact that you can breathe, beat your heart, convert food into fuel, ward off disease, think about a beautiful sunset and a billion other things all at the same time is a miracle; you should be constantly amazed at how incredible you are!

This isn’t an invitation to become an egomaniac; nobody likes a braggart. At the same time, though, you must begin to develop and maintain the proper level of self-respect. You are truly a wonder of creation, and you should celebrate that each and every day you live.

In many ways, you are no more or less wonderful than any other human being who ever walked the planet; on the other hand, the qualities and characteristics that make you unique are your greatest assets, and they do set you apart from the rest of humanity. Look at those traits as your allies; celebrate your individuality and use it to your advantage. You have strengths that no one else has; use them to the full.

Too often we focus on trying to be the same as everyone else. We mistakenly believe that the path to success is to follow the pack and do what they do, sacrificing our uniqueness to be more like the herd. In truth, though, that’s the surest path to mediocrity there is, for it hides our individual talents. We forget that we are special, and so we tend to sell ourselves short.

Remember this passage from The Scroll Marked IV:

“Since the beginning of time never has there been another with my mind, my heart, my eyes, my ears, my hands, my hair, my mouth. None that came before, none that live today, and none that come tomorrow can walk and talk and move and think exactly like me. All men are my brothers yet I am different from each. I am a unique creature.”

Be unique. Be yourself. The worst thing you can do for yourself or your career is to be forgettable. If you can get them to remember you, the chances that they’ll buy from you are greatly increased. Dare to be outrageous and to have fun and to celebrate your individuality. If you do, you’ll have the advantage of being memorable.

“I will persist until I succeed.” - from The Scroll Marked III, The Greatest Salesman In the World by Og Mandino

This principle has become my personal mantra over the course of the last few years. I remember a former employer whose favorite phrase was “Persistence overcomes resistance”, and that phrase has stuck with me through some pretty challenging times.

It’s a fact: the last few years haven’t been easy on anyone. The reason I created Motivation 101 and started this blog was that I kept hearing people around me talking like they were ready to just give up and run for cover; I knew that was the wrong response, and I felt compelled to jump in and do something about it. So I recorded an audio program in a friend’s garage. He produced it, and I started making CDs in my home office and handing them out to anyone who was willing to listen.

The feedback was encouraging: most of the people I talked to were discouraged, but not quite ready to roll over just yet. We would talk about their challenges and how the principles of positive thinking and persistence were the only things getting them by. Some of them had lost jobs, homes, credit scores and personal dignity. It had all taken a toll on their self-image, but they hadn’t given up. They wanted to keep going, and we were able to offer each other mutual encouragement.

The one thing I learned from these folks is expressed nicely in the words of the Scroll Marked III: “Always will I take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another. In truth, one step at a time is not too difficult.”

No, one step at a time is not too difficult. When crossing a great desert, it’s best to focus on only one thing: your next step. So long as you can put one foot in front of the other, even if it’s a weak and wobbly step, you survive. It’s only when you give up and stop moving forward that you doom yourself.

Success comes down to one thing: how many times you’re willing to hear “No,” or “Sorry, not today,” or “You’re not what we’re looking for,” or “You’re just not good enough,” and still come back to ask again. My friends at Go For No! call it your No Quotient, and I agree when they say that your NQ is far more important than your IQ; after all, we all know a few broke geniuses, people with high IQs and low net worths. The reverse is true as well, and we do well to pay attention to that lesson.

We talk a lot about “raising your tolerance for rejection” and “failing your way to success”, but there’s more involved than just blindly, relentlessly pushing forward. Sometimes life gives you feedback you need to pay attention to. In addition to persisting, you should also be willing to adapt and learn as you go. The ability to grow as well as persist is an unstoppable combination.

Mandino compares persistence to the series of single, weak axe-blows that fell the mighty oak, the tiny rain drops that wash away the mountain. No single blow or rain drop could do the job on its own; only their repetitive persistence will get it done.

Are you willing to take the persistence challenge?  If so, remember that there’s only one rule in this game: “So long as there is breath in me, that long will I persist. For now I know one of the greatest principles of success; if I persist long enough I will win.”

“I will greet this day with love in my heart.” - from The Scroll Marked II, The Greatest Salesman In the World by Og Mandino

Love can be hard to pin down to a single definition. In the second principle for becoming the greatest salesperson the world has ever seen, qualities like gratitude, passion, enthusiasm and optimism are grouped under the subject of love; each of these facets of love is required to truly succeed as a salesperson.

Think of the mental outlook this principle encourages the would-be salesperson to embrace: if you truly greet the day with love in your heart, do you think that a little discouragement or rejection will stop you? That’s the power of optimism, the part of love that’s always looking to the future with hope and a smile.

Mandino nails it when he says that “only the unseen power of love can open the hearts of men”. You’ve likely seen this in action. Think of the last time you were dealing with a real skeptic, a nay-sayer who had absolutely no interest in hearing about what you had to offer. How would you set about winning such a person over to your way of thinking? Would you try to persuade with logic and reasoning? Try that and let me know how it works out. Trying to convince another person they’re wrong with logic is like pushing a wheelbarrow full of bricks up a hill: no fun at all.

If, on the other hand, that same person was able to see your passion and enthusiasm for your offering in action, they might eventually warm up to hearing what you have to say. It reminds me of the Tom Sawyer story about the picket fence: Tom is able to convince the other kids in the neighborhood to pay him for the privilege of doing his chores, not by reasoning with them, but by demonstrating how much he enjoyed doing the task. And even though Tom was faking his enthusiasm for the job, the other children caught his enthusiasm and begged to be allowed to do the work. Imagine how much more effective sincere enthusiasm would be! That’s the power of love.

How exactly does one “greet the day with love”, though? I love Mandino’s explanation:

“Henceforth will I look on all things with love and I will be born again. I will love the sun for it warms my bones; yet I will love the rain for it cleanses my spirit. I will love the light for it shows me the way; yet I will love the darkness for it shows me the stars. I will welcome happiness for it enlarges my heart; yet I will endure sadness for it opens my soul. I will acknowledge rewards for they are my due; yet I will welcome obstacles for they are my challenge.”

Once again, it comes down to the choices we make. When it comes to feeling and expressing love, gratitude helps. If we’re grateful for what we have, even what challenges us, we can show it love. If we lack gratitude and are always wishing we had something better, love is going to be hard to find. And who decides whether we are grateful or not? I think you know the answer. Gratitude, like any trait, is something we have to choose to maintain.

A secret formula for expressing this love is to “in silence and to myself…address him (those you come in contact with) and say I Love You.” Why? because, “though spoken in silence these words will shine in my eyes, unwrinkle my brow, bring a smile to my lips, and echo in my voice; and his heart will be opened.” Master that ability, “and who is there who will say nay to my goods when his hearts feels my love?”

To quote Huey Lewis, that’s the power of love!

“Today I begin a new life.” - from The Scroll Marked I, The Greatest Salesman In the World by Og Mandino

Today begins our consideration of the 10 principles outlined in Og Mandino’s masterpiece, “The Greatest Salesman In the World”. The quote above, extracted from the first scroll is the perfect start to this process (which is probably why Mandino put it first, right?): Today I begin a new life!

I love the power of that statement. It says that even if I go to sleep a failure tonight, I can choose a different path in the morning. Imagine that: every morning, on rising, you have the power to decide! You can decide how you’ll spend the day, whether in activities that will carry closer to your goals or in procrastination, worry and anxiety; it’s entirely up to you. The question is, what will you do with your power?

I love the next line: “Today I shed my old skin which hath, too long, suffered the bruises of failure and the wounds of mediocrity.” That, dear readers, is the power of choice. The fact that you can, at any moment, shed the skin of failure and mediocrity and choose to pursue greatness. Each of us has that ability. I know that can sound like a load of new-age, feel-good, touchy-feely crap to someone who’s feeling down-and-out; I wish there was a way for me to assure you that you can do incredible things if you just want to badly enough, but that’s a lesson you have to learn for yourself.

Think of all the times you’ve ever faced a crisis situation, whether it was emotional, physical or financial. Let me ask you: how did it feel to be in that moment? Pretty desparate, right? And yet, looking back on it, how does it feel now? Time has a way of lending perspective, doesn’t it? Some of the most desparate situations seem laughable ten years after. We learn along the way that the only way to overcome lifes challenges is to continue to put one foot in front of the other, to lean a little harder into it, to get up tomorrow and start all over again.

This isn’t drudgery or resignation, though; it’s resolution. Do you have that kind of resolution for your business or your sales career? I hope so, because without it, you’re dead before you start. Life is going to hit you pretty hard sometimes. A friend of mine posted a quote on Facebook the other day, and it was incredibly moving. It was from the movie Rocky Balboa:

“Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain’t how hard you hit; it’s about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”

And that’s how we start our journey toward becoming the greatest salesperson (or business person or artist or father) the world has ever seen: by deciding today to begin a new life. Whatever challenges you’ve faced in the past, let them live in the past. The ones who’ve done you wrong, let them go and send a little love their way. The circumstances that have held you back all these years, shake them off and start again. Whatever the mistakes and indiscretions of yesterday, leave them behind and embrace the gift of NOW. It’s the only moment that really exists, anyway, so why not direct all your effort and energy to making it the best NOW it can be?

“Today my old skin has become as dust. I will walk tall among men and they will know me not, for today I am a new man, with a new life.”

One of my favorite things in life is a good book, and one of my favorite authors is Dean Koontz.

I first started reading Koontz novels about 4 years ago, and I’ve been hooked ever since.   For my money, he’s one of the best fiction writers alive today.  His books are incredibly entertaining ,and they always make me think about things I hadn’t considered or offer a new perspective on  life and death and being human.

What I never expected, though, was to write a blog post about the sales lessons I’ve learned from Mr. Koontz, but here it is.

#1 – It’s all about the story

Whatever else you might say about Koontz, there’s one thing no one can deny: the man can tell a story.  His books are at the same time thrilling and profound, but the parts that make you think are wrapped up in stories that are so compelling, it’s very likely you’re going to lose a few hours sleep.  More than once I’ve been so engrossed in a Koontz story that I’ve lost all sense of time and missed an entire night of sleep (Intensity was one such tale…read it at your peril).

Are the stories you share with your customers so compelling that they lose track of time and are surprised when they realize you’ve been chatting for an hour?  Or are they bored with your canned pitch 30 seconds into your presentations?  It’s a question worth considering, because your ability to engage your customers with great stories will directly correlate to your success as a salesperson.

One caution about stories, though: the goal should always be to move the ball forward.  When Koontz goes on a tangent, you can be sure that it has a purpose and will eventually be woven into the overall theme of the story.  Too often, salespeople tell stories that have no point and that have no correlation to the theme of their presentations.  Avoid those kind of stories.  No one enjoys them but you.

#2 – Being human means being flawed…deal with it

If there’s one thing I love about Koontz more than anything else, it’s that his “heroes” are all flawed, ordinary people, dealing with seemingly impossible circumstances.  They don’t have all the answers, and rarely do they make it through unscathed.  A Koontz protagonist is typically someone you can identify with.

I’ve talked before in this blog about the need for humility, and I think this drives that point home.  Being human means you’re going to make mistakes.  You’re going to screw up, and chances are pretty good it’ll happen again before the week is over.  And that’s OK.  Screwing up makes you human; it’s how you react to screwing up that determines the kind of person you are.

Do you take ownership of your mistakes?  Do you freely acknowledge your mistakes and humbly apologize to customers when things go wrong?  Or are you quick to point the finger, pass the buck, and play the blame game?  Your customers (at least the good ones) will appreciate your honesty and humility in admitting your mistakes.

#3 – The bad guys never give up

Usually a combination of superhuman and dangerously psychotic, Koontz’ bad guys are persistent, to say the least.  Just when you think the hero has them beat, you realize there are at least 40 pages left in the book and that the bad guy is definitely going to come back.

The “bad” guys in your own story (i.e., your competition) are every bit as relentless as Koontz’ antagonists.  They never sleep.  They are on the clock 24 x 7, looking for a weakness they can exploit.  OK…that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but a little paranoia can be a good thing.  The trick to staying one step ahead of the competition is the same one that Koontz’ heroes employ: just keep moving forward.  Don’t give up.  If you hang in there long enough, you can win.

Remember, a successful sales career is a marathon, not a sprint.

#4 – Respect the intelligence of your audience

While Koontz’ books aren’t considered “great literature” by many critics, they’re not exactly fluff, either.  Words like “ululating” and  ”sussurant” are always cropping up, forcing me to reach for the dictionary.  And that makes me feel like Koontz respects me as a reader.  He’s willing to challenge me, and he doesn’t talk down to me.  I get the sense that he believes I’m an intelligent person.

Is that how your customers feel?  Do you respect their intelligence and business savvy?  Or do you have a tendency to talk down to them, telling them what’s best for them?

I’m amazed at how many salespeople take this approach.  I’d like to point out that the business owner they are talking to was intelligent enough to build a business, whereas the salesperson still works for someone else.  Not that there’s anything wrong with working for someone else; just that they might want to show a little respect for someone who is out doing it on their own.

No matter how right you think you are or how good of a match your product is for them, you don’t ever have the right to treat your customer like a dummy when they disagree with you.

Koontz is a great author, and I love that I can get this kind of education while reading a great book.  What have your favorite authors taught you about business?

I missed posting last night because I fell victim to one of the classic blunders.  The most famous, of course, is “Never get involved in a land war in Asia.”  The second, only slightly less well known, is “Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line.”

The third, and the one I learned the hard way last night, is this: “Never trust your brother when he says something will ‘only take five minutes.’”

I should have known better, too.  After all, he’d already been working on the project for a good hour, banging on pipes and sawing things and tossing out the occasional curse.  I also should have known better because, even though he’s a year younger than me, I’ve been following him into harm’s way for 35 years.  It’s amazing how our memories fail us at such critical moments in our lives.

“Jerry,” he said.  ”Can you give me a hand?  I’m almost done with this and just need a hand pulling this line through.  It should only take five minutes.”  I ventured into the work zone, and was astonished by what I saw.  It looked like every tool in the garage was being used.  There were three different kinds of Makita devices, drills, grinders, lights, wrenches of various shapes and sizes…I think there was even a hammer, just in case.  It seemed a little excessive.  Worse, it seemed like plumbing.

“What are you doing?” I asked, dreading the answer.

“No big deal,” he said, another signal that I should run the other way.  ”Just running a water line to the ice-maker on the refrigerator.”  I knew it.  Plumbing.  Ugh.  I hate plumbing.  Not the way Indy hates snakes, but close.  But there was beer to be had, and I’m a sucker for beer.

“OK,” I said.  ”What do you need me to do?”

Three hours and many banged knuckles, swear words and empty beer bottles later, we called it a night.  There was still no water supply to the ice-maker, but there was a hell of a mess in the kitchen.   We capped off the line, threw all the tools and implements of destruction into an empty laundry basket, tossed the basket in the garage and called it a night.

This is why I hate plumbing.  It’s the same way I feel about writing HTML code and data entry:  I can do it, but I don’t love it.  And because I don’t love it, I’ll never be really good at it.  My skills as a writer and marketer and sales professional will always continue to improve because I love those activities and spend a lot of time doing them.  My skills as a plumber and data entry clerk and writer of code will stay static or diminish because I do everything I can to avoid getting involved in those activities.

There are those who could have done in 15 minutes the job that took me and my brother 7 man hours to complete.  They are the ones who love plumbing enough to be really good at it.  I guess that’s the lesson in all this: if you want to be really good at something, pick something that you love to do.

It sounds really simple, I know, but not a lot of people take the lesson to heart.  Instead, they choose a business or a career based on what others think.  They don’t trust their hearts, and they pay the price.  It’s why Henry David Thoreau said that most men lead “lives of quiet desperation”.  But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Ask yourself: am I doing what I love?  Or did I fall victim to one of the classic blunders?

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Just a quick note to say that there’s still time to suggest a moral for last week’s Social Media Fable.  I’ll be picking a winner on Friday, so be sure to check back then to see which moral wins.

Also, be sure to order your copy of “Sociable!” by Shane Gibson and Steven Jagger.  It was released today.  I wrote a review about it a few weeks ago.  You can read that review here.  It’s a great book, and a must-read if you want to incorporate social media into your business.

Hi kids!  It’s Social Media Fable time, and you get to pick the moral:

Once upon a time, there was a Facebook fan named Jerry.  He was going about his days on Facebook, enjoying his interactions with his virtual friends, and life was good.

One day, he received an invitation form one of his Facebook friends, Mr. G, to become a fan of a bakery in a far-away town.  Since Jerry had never been to the bakery or tasted their confectionery delights, he hit the “ignore” button and thought no more of it.

A few days later though, Mr. G repeated his request to become a fan of the bakery.   Since he still hadn’t tried the bakery’s cupcakes, Jerry clicked the ‘ignore’ button again, and again thought nothing of it.  ”Just an oversight on Mr. G’s part, that’s all,” he thought.

The very next morning, though, the invitation appeared again!  Jerry started to get annoyed, but, as always, managed to keep his cool.  He simply hit ‘ignore’ again and went about his day.  His annoyance grew, however, when later the same day there was another invitation!  ”This is madness,” he thought to himself, clicked ‘ignore’ again, and wondered what he should do.

No more than an hour had passed, though, before the invitation appeared again!

“Enough!” he cried.  ”This is insanity!  What would cause Mr. G to annoy me so?!”

Jerry considered several possible solutions to the problem.  He could report Mr. G to Facebook for abuse.  He could remove Mr. G as a friend.  He could make a public display and call Mr. G out in a public forum, say, for example, Mr. G’s wall.

Jerry, being a kind soul, opted for a more civil solution.  He sent Mr. G a message.

“Dear Mr. G:

First of all, thanks for reaching out. I’m glad to make your acquaintance here on Facebook. I hope things are going well for you and your business.

I’d like to ask a favor. I’ve received several “page suggestions” from you over the past few weeks requesting that I become a fan of a particular bakery you like. I appreciate your enthusiasm for this business, but I’m really not interested in becoming a fan of it at this time.

I have elected to ignore the previous invitations to this page, and I’m going to do so one more time. I’d really appreciate not receiving another request for this page.

If you have other pages you’d like me to consider in the future, I’m happy to do so. Just not this one.

Thanks again for your friendship,

Jerry”

Jerry wasn’t sure what would happen next.  He waited in anticipation of Mr. G’s next move.  Would he receive the invitation again?  Would he be forced to remove Mr. G as a friend and mock him mercilessly in public?

No, for as it turned out, Mr. G was one of the good ones.  ”I’m sorry, Jerry,” Mr. G replied.  ”I didn’t realize I was doing that.  You see, I’m new here, and I didn’t know that hitting ‘Message All’ would re-send my invitations to people who’d already ignored it.  Thanks for the heads up!”

“No worries, Mr. G,” said Jerry.  ”I appreciate your sensible response.  Good luck to you, and may your bakery eventually have 100,000 fans!”

The End

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So kids: what do YOU think the moral of this Social Media Fable should?  Leave your responses in the Comments section.  The best moral for the fable will receive a special prize: a copy of “Motivation 101: Five Steps to Activate Your Potential In Any Economy”, autographed by yours truly.

Have fun!

Last night, I was poking around, looking for something good to read, when I came across this post from Crystal Williams, keeper of the Big Bright Bulb blog.   Crystal discusses the fact that when we really, really really want something, we have a tendency to go after it with gusto.  We give it everything we’ve got, and it doesn’t even feel like work.

OK.  That last bit isn’t really true.  It still feels like work, but it’s fun at the same time.  And it doesn’t feel like that kind of work we do grudgingly or against our will (for me, that’d be be something like sorting and delivering mail), but like the kind of work we’d do even if we weren’t getting paid for it (for me, writing this blog).  It’s still work in the sense that it can be difficult and challenging and a real pain sometimes, but it’s exhilarating!

Crystal’s post got me thinking about my own successes and failures, about the things that work in my life and the things that don’t.  And what I’ve come to realize is that if I want something badly enough, if I commit to it, there’s really not much that can stop me from having/being/doing it.

I think most, if not all, of us are built the same way.  Sometimes, though, we forget we have this amazing ability.  I know I do.  Sometimes, we give up at the first sign of trouble.  We concede at the first “No!” we hear.  We accept the excuses our mind comes up with for why we quit, and we go about our day as if nothing was lost by our surrender.  But something was lost, because every time we set out to accomplish something and give up, we believe a little less in our ability to succeed the next time we try.  And that loss of belief in our ability to succeed actually diminishes our ability to succeed.

That’s not to say that failure is a bad thing; it’s not.  Failure is a great teacher.  It’s giving up before we’ve had the chance to fail that kills us, little by little.  Surrender, even if it seems to insignificant at the time, has lasting effects.  What’s the answer?  How do we keep ourselves from quitting?

Easy: only pursue projects and prospects that you believe in, that you’re committed to seeing through to completion, no matter if you win or lose.   And then pursue them with everything you’ve got! You’ll be amazed how much easier it is to accomplish something when you believe in it enough to commit to it.

I’ll never forget a scene from one of my favorite movies that really drives this point home.  The movie: First Knight.  The scene: King Arthur is facing his nemesis, Malagant.  Malagant’s forces have infiltrated Camelot and are threatening to burn it to the ground unless Arthur capitulates, kneeling in front of Malagant.

Arthur asks forgiveness from his subjects for what he’s about to do, then removes his sword, approaches Malagant with a downcast gaze, and says to his subjects, “As my last act as your king, I command you…”  He begins to kneel, then, when it seems all hope is lost, raises his sword and shouts, “To fight! Fight like you’ve never fought before! Never surrender…Never surrender!!”  As his body is riddled with crossbow bolts from Malagant’s men, his final cry is “Camelot lives!”  Arthur was committed to Camelot.

Do you have that kind of commitment?  If not, I highly recommend you find it.  When you do, you’ll be amazed how easy the rest is.

Over the course of 2009, my friend and business partner Joel D. Canfield and I had some fun creating a series of videos for YouTube.   We were the Business Heretics, and we called the series our Burning Business Tips.  I was going through the videos tonight, and I came across one that I think has some relevance as we head into the new year.  The video below was recorded in honor of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo lunar landing:

I think it’s important that we all give this some thought as we look ahead to what we’re planning to accomplish in 2010.  I know that, for many of us, 2009 was a year we’d rather forget.  I also know that many of us are still carrying around some of the bruises and scars that we received during the past year, and that those scars are affecting the way we’re thinking about the future.  They’re even having an impact on the goals we’re setting for the new year.

As the video states, though, we can truly accomplish anything, as individuals or businesses, if we start with the firm belief that we can.  I know this to be true, and so do you, though you may have forgotten it. And it’s time to take our power back now.  No more wallowing in the misery of 2009.  It’s time to plan for a much better 2010, a task which can only be accomplished if you believe that you can do it.  After all, who sets a goal that he doesn’t truly believe he can achieve?

If you tackle a problem or set out to achieve a goal with the belief that it’s impossible, you’re destined to fail.  On the other hand, a belief that accomplishing your goal is within your reach will inspire you to new levels of commitment.  When the going gets tough, rather than giving up, you’ll get more creative.  Your belief, your faith that you can achieve what you set out to achieve, is the first and most important step on the path.

I think Michaelangelo said it best: ” The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.”  With that in mind and with a clean slate for the new year, what do you believe you can accomplish?  Dream big, write it down, and believe you can!