Motivation and the entrepreneur

Hi all!

What an interesting thread.

So many are looking for the secret to success. Seeking that special "something" that a select few have, and that drives people to success.

Is it self confidence? No.
Is it motivation? No.
Is it courage? Knowledge? No.

Folks... the difference... is tenacity.

The late Irving Stone spent a lifetime writing novelized biographies of men such as Michelangelo, Vincent van Gogh, Sigmund Freud, and Charles Darwin. Stone was once asked if he had found a thread that runs through the lives of exceptional people. He said;

"They are beaten over the head, knocked down, vilified, and for years they get nowhere. But every time they're knocked down they stand up. You cannot destroy these people. And at the end of their lives they've accomplished some modest part of what they set out to do."

And this one, by Calvin Coolidge;

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.
(Calvin Coolidge)

As Michael notes.... motivation wears off when the motivator isn't around.

Knowledge isn't enough. Plenty of people have knowledge and fail to apply it.

Self confidence isn't the solution. Plenty of people with self confidence don't have the persistance and tenacity to stick with a project long enough to make it a success.

Courage isn't enough. Courage can be short term, or long term. Tenacity and persistence will be the determining factor.

But the entrepreneur that just WILL NOT QUIT, and that will greet each failure with that approach of "Okay... that's one way that doesn't work. I'll try another" instead of throwing in the towel... that's the one that will eventually make it.

Do you know why WD40 is named that? Because the first 39 combinations of ingredients didn't work. How many entrepreneurs do YOU know that will still be trying after they have failed 39 times?

Much like a successful business owner that's a client of mine. He'd had 12 businesses go down the tubes. Failed. Bankrupt. His 13th was the winner. The one he excelled at.

Tenacity. Do you have it?

Just my two cents...

Linda




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