Success seems to be largely a matter of …
Who doesn’t want to be successful? In all my years speaking to thousands of audiences around the world, I’ve never met anyone who said, “I want to be a failure. I want to live at the bottom of the barrel.”
Success may be defined differently by different people, but one truth stands firm: success has patterns. It’s been studied more than almost any other topic. And while it’s not always easy, it is simple—certain actions lead to success, and others to failure.
At the top of the list of things you must do to succeed PRACTICE PERSISTENCE. Keep showing up—at your job, in your marriage, in your health goals, and in life—before the breakthrough happens.
Thomas Edison put it well: “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”
Author and publisher William Feather affirmed that. He said, “Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.”
But how do you keep going when life hits hard—when your energy fades, your motivation slips, or your confidence cracks? Use these strategies.
►1. Speak with Confidence
Words matter—especially the ones you speak to yourself.
If you constantly say, “I think… I guess… Sort of… Maybe… I’ll try…” you’re not just sounding unsure—you’re telling your brain you’re unsure.
And guess what? That kind of talk will kill off your persistence, because you perform exactly as you tell yourself. That’s Psychology 101.
So be careful of giving too much time and utterance to words of doubt.
Instead, speak with confidence even if you don’t feel confident. And eventually you will feel confident and will become more persistent.
► 2. Use Obstacles as Fuel
If you’re alive, you’re always going to have problems. You’ll always have obstacles in your path, just waiting to kill off your persistence.
Catholic clergyman Albert D’Souza had to learn that the hard way. He said,
“For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin — real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”
When you come to the same realization, that you’re always going to have obstacles threatening your persistence, you have two choices.
One: you can act like a victim. You can complain that you’ve been singled out and treated unfairly. You can walk around feeling sorry for yourself, staying emotionally unfit and flabby.
Or two: you can act like a victor. Push against those obstacles like weights in a gym. Act as if you can do it. Resistance builds resilience.
It’s one of the many, many skills you’ll master in my virtual Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program on October 9-10, 2025. Just like credit manager Joan Baca did.
She wrote,
“I need to report to you my ‘act-as-if’ success. I’m amazed myself! My work days have flown by and I am finding new enthusiasm for my work. Even though my duties haven’t changed … my attitude has! And I’m breaking through obstacles that have tripped me up for years. Thank you!”
Obviously, if you’re going to be successful at anything, you’ve got to act like a victor and push against the obstacles. Of course, you may be asking HOW you can push through the obstacles that get in your way, at work and at home.
First, reframe the obstacle. Think about it and talk about it differently. Remember what master juggler Rob Peck says. When you have an obstacle, when you make a mistake, when you have an oops, remind yourself that WHOOPS stands for: When Humans Overcome Obstacles, Providence Smiles. In other words, give yourself a little grace. Give God some room to work.
Second, keep on keeping on. Be like Bob Dylan … who was booed off the stage of his high school talent show, but he kept at it, becoming one of the world’s most enduring rock stars. (My wife actually knows him. They grew up on the same street in a little northern Minnesota town.)
Be like Howard Schultz … who was turned down by 217 banks before he could launch Starbucks. Or be like J.K. Rowling … who was rejected by a dozen publishers before Harry Potter became a reality.
► 3. Give Your Feelings a Vote, Not a Veto
One of the most dangerous success myths is this: “If I don’t feel like it, I shouldn’t do it.” Winners know better.
They do what needs to be done whether or not they feel like it. They go to the gym on tired days. They make the call even when afraid. They persist when it’s inconvenient, unfair, or uncomfortable.
Yes, your feelings matter. They deserve a vote. They are a part of the decision you make to keep on keeping on or to quit. But they don’t get the final vote.
For example, Chuck Yeager didn’t feel like going into space. On his first flight as an astronaut passenger, he threw up all over the back seat. He vowed never to go back up again, yet later on he became the first person to break the sound barrier.
Fritz Kreisler, a famed violinist, didn’t feel like practicing hours and hours every day. One time he was approached by a woman who said, “I’d give my life to play like you!” He replied, “Madam, I have.”
Success is not determined by your feelings. Success only responds to persistence.
As baseball manager Tommy Lasorda once said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.”
Final Thought: Persistence is a decision, not a personality trait. And the good news is: it’s a decision you can make today.
Action Step: How much weight do you give your feelings? Do they guide you—or govern you? This week, try giving your feelings a vote, but not a veto. Persist through one thing you don’t “feel like” doing—and see what opens up.
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