Practical Tips

It can be so easy to quit. Life seems hard, bills are pressing in, you have family issues, the job or business isn’t going the way you want it. You just want to curl up into a ball and hope the world passes you by.

I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ve been in this place many times over the last 47 years. And there I would have remained, like so many people in the world except for one thing. Stick-to-it-ivity.

And you, dear reader, may well have been there too. Maybe you’re there right now. If so, take heart. It’s never over till the final siren sounds.

So just what is stick-to-it-ivity?

It can be summarised in just one phrase. “Winners never quit and quitters never win.”

Those of you who’ve had kids (and in fact all of us were at some point), know what that can be like. You start things and then find other things to do because you got bored, got hurt, the activity wasn’t cool or any number of other reasons.

And then we let them quit and try something new! And so the pattern begins.

Now I’m not advocating that you never stop doing something you don’t like. But by stopping before you’ve given it everything, you’re likely to miss out on some really good stuff that could be just around the corner.

And with your kids, if you see some talent, it’s your role to nurture and push your kids so that they do have the chance to live up to their full potential.

And boy, it can be tough - we have a 17 year old sitting at home right now who we’re pushing to try things.

Last Monday and Tuesday he was invited on a commercial film shoot.

Enthusiastic on the Monday - came home telling us how much he loved it. Then on Tuesday morning, “I’m tired and don’t want to go”. I tell you, I literally dragged him out of bed, and Barbara drove him to the location an hour away. That evening he came home and told us he’d had a great time and this could be something he’d like to do career wise.

If we’d given in to his “I’m tired”, he’d have missed out on a major opportunity.

<Quick Aside>

Needing someone to push you doesn’t stop when you’re a child or teenager. We all need to be accountable to someone. That’s what spawned a whole coaching industry.

And not surprisingly, studies have shown that the number one reason businesses fail is not lack of money, it’s lack of the business owner being accountable to someone external.

So what’s the secret to success?

The famous song, “wish upon a star to make your dreams come true”, may be fine in theory. But in the real world, you need persistence and fortitude. You need to hang in there till the final siren goes. You need to get up one more time than you get knocked over.

Here are some examples of people with great stick-to-it-ivity…

Abraham Lincoln lost countless elections before becoming President of the United States.

When George Frederic Handel wrote, “The Messiah”, he was at the lowest point in his life - sick, destitute, and so deep in debt that his creditors threatened to send him to prison. He persevered and a masterpiece was born.

Henry Ford failed and went broke five times before he finally succeeded. His first car had a glaring design flaw - no reverse gear! When asked about his secret to success, “Just finish it”.

Bob Hope - who entertained millions during his lifetime, was broke and literally starving in 1928 before auditioning for Charlie Hogan. Hogan gave him a one night gig at a club and the rest, as they say is history.

Theodor Geisel wrote a children’s book that was rejected by 23 publishers. The twenty-fourth bought it and published it and it sold 6 million copies. Never heard of Geisel? You may know him by his pen name - Dr Seuss!

Stephen King sent his first book to at least 50 publishers - and got rejected. Until one did and look at the shelves of any bookstore now.

J.K. Rowling got rejected by countless publishers, and if she’d quit, we wouldn’t have Harry Potter.

And the list goes on…

If there is one factor that everyone who’s ever succeeded has (and they don’t have to be famous - just the quiet achiever next door), it’s that they keep going, often in the face of massive adversity.

And contrary to what the pundits will espouse, they don’t necessarily “have a dream” in the traditional sense. They just want to make life better for themselves and the people around them.

So they push and scrape and fight and cajole, go down many blind alleys and dead ends, but most of all, never quit in their pursuit of personal excellence.

To do anything well takes hard work and some talent, and the right attitude. In the words of Zig Ziglar, “It’s your attitude, not your aptitude that will determine your altitude in life”.

And if there’s one skill that could make the difference, it’s figuring out when to stop flogging a dead horse and moving on to other things (while taking what you’ve learned from the current experience).

The mistake many people make is to stop when they’ve made a mistake, rather than learning and moving on. Sometimes you’ve created a dog of a product. If so, move on! Fail fast and learn.

As the famous slogan goes, “Just do it!”

Wrapping up…

As this will be the final newsletter before the holiday break, now might be the time for you to take stock. As yourself what worked, what didn’t. What you’d do differently and what you learned.

I’ve written a whole article on it which you can find here.

And lastly, make plans for what you’d like 2007 to be like. What do you want for yourself, your family, your business and your life in general.

One (almost) last thing.

I’ve mentioned the Speed Lead Kit. In three weeks we’ve gone from three letters to around fifty four in the kit with what’s shaping up to being a 50 page manual to boot.

This was to me proving stick-to-it-ivity. I’d committed to finishing the product with our coach, Paul Blackburn - so we have. The kit’s going out to beta testers - you know who you are, so thank you.

Look out for a launch in early 2007. I promise you your business will benefit if you buy and use the product.

So, if I don’t speak to you before Christmas, have a great one if you celebrate it (and if you don’t, have a great one anyway!). Be safe and if you’re on the roads, take lots of breaks and drive safely.

All the best and I thank all of you for your support in 2006 and I’m certainly looking forward to a fantabulous 2007!

Rashid.

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