When you advise aspiring and fledgling business owners, one question that routinely comes up is what it takes to be successful. While it takes many ingredients to achieve success, there are two that are key in my opinion.
Persistency
Back in High School I tried out and made the football team. In reality it wasn’t that hard as they pretty much took anyone who tried out. But the real challenge was getting to play. Most of the playing time (a.k.a. “tick”) was given to starters and second string players. Me? Oh, I was just a guy who was on the team; by most standards I was just your typical benchwarmer. But just like everyone else, I earned my “letter” for each year I was on the team. And just like everyone else, I sported my letters on my letterman’s jacket. To the girl at the bus stop, I looked just like all the other “jocks” when we got off the bus at her stop!
Win the battle, show your medal, we're loyal to you old pal!
The point of this story is what? Quite simply, persistency pays off. I could/should have quit numerous times during the years I played football. The total amount of tick I got was probably the equivalent of a first half, but was spread across three years. Yet I didn’t give up. I never succumbed to the pressure to stop going to two-a-days. I never let the ridicule of “star” players deter me from marching on. But more importantly, I never let myself disappoint the one person who really mattered; me.
If you want to be successful, you have to sometimes have the fight of a dog in you. When everything is pointing to stopping, you have to tell yourself that success may be just around the corner. And if you can be persistent? You might just wind up with a successful business like all those other entrepreneurs who started their business just like you did; one day at a time.
Consistency
Some of the greatest people have achieved their success not because of special talents or intellect, but because they consistently plod along. Whatever goals you’re trying to reach; they aren’t just going to happen. You have to actually/consistently be working on them.
Here is a case in point. When you are wooing someone, you go through the effort of being consistent. You will routinely call them, see them, take them on dates, tell them they are special, compliment them, etc. But what happens once you’ve won their heart? Those consistent things start to fade by the wayside. Why? Primarily because you achieved you goal; getting them to become your boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse!
The moral of the story is that you achieve your goals by consistently doing the necessary work. If you walk a few steps each and every day of the year, after a year you will have walked several miles.
