Jean-Pierre Lauzier, expert consultant and sales consultant, regularly gives you his advice for personal and commercial development on Isarta Infos. Today, he explains an often-forgotten notion of success: determination!
If success were simply the result of work, there would be many more people and businesses that would have succeeded. But we all know: the hours of work we invest in a year do not guarantee the success of the project we have set for ourselves.
Many people work hard to achieve a goal and often succeed. But not always. We all know someone who has worked hard but has not been able to achieve the level of comfort or well-being he or she was entitled to expect. Is that unfair? Maybe. But that is the reality.
Work alone does not guarantee success. It is a very important ingredient, but not the only one! Starting a business, getting a dream job, or succeeding in a project that matters to us requires work, but also determination.
Getting up…
Why? Because on the road to our project’s success, we encounter obstacles, we experience failures, and it is our determination that makes the difference between giving up because of these obstacles or going over, getting up and continuing our way.
It is our decision to go all the way that makes the difference! It was Flight Director Gene Kranz’s “Failure is not an option” on Apollo 13 that allowed the three astronauts to return to Earth alive, despite a very slim, if not almost zero, probability of success.
If Céline Dion’s brother had given up after René Angélil’s first rejection, if our Olympic athletes became discouraged by the obstacles they ALL encountered, if Mylène Paquette allowed the natural elements to defeat her crossing the Atlantic, if Bombardier had given up after its first unsuccessful tests, these people might not have reached the level of success they are now recognized as having. It was determination that made their dream come true, not just their work.
Failure must not be an obstacle
To succeed, we need to think of the obstacle or the failure as a temporary event that can be overcome and the only way to counter it is to focus on finding solutions that will solve that setback, and the next, and the next… until we reach our goal.
We often hear people say, “He is lucky, he has a good position,” or “he has the talent to succeed.” This person you admire will be the first to tell you that it is not his talent that made the difference, but rather his determination not to be stopped by failures and obstacles.
Einstein said: ” I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right”.
To be determined is to act, act, act, despite the probability of failure. It is to advance, advance, advance, despite the difficulties. It is not what you read about determination that will allow you to get what you want, but what you will do from what you read: it is the actions you take when an obstacle arises that make the difference.
So, aim for your goal and be determined in your actions, never give up: sooner or later you will get what you want.
Wishing you every success!
