How to Keep Fighting and Pressing Forward When the Going Gets Tough Remember, we all fail at one time or another. That's life.
By Matt Mayberry •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
A lot of people like to think that there is some secret formula to achieving extraordinary levels of success and breaking free from mediocrity, but there really isn't.
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The one and only secret to crushing your goals and experiencing the success that you always dreamed of is to take relentless, persistent and massive action every single day of your life. Every peak performer knows the importance of this truth. The reason why the majority neglect it is because of the ridiculous amount of work required of them. What's more, there is absolutely nothing exciting and sexy about that workload.
Persistence may not always be the "fun" thing to do, but it always will be the right thing to do when you are in pursuit of greatness, when you're looking to maximize business success or achieve a game-changing goal. Being persistent requires you to get out of your comfort zone most of the time and force yourself to take action, even when you may not feel like it.
The following icons certainly understood this:
- Henry Ford massively failed and went broke five times before he finally got his major breakthrough.
- Beethoven was ridiculed for how he handled the violin, and his teacher told him that he was hopeless as a composer.
- Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor for an alleged lack of ideas. He also went bankrupt multiple times before he built Disneyland.
- Charles Darwin gave up a medical career and was told by his father, "You care for nothing but shooting, dogs and rat-catching." Wrote Darwin in his autobiography: "I was considered by my father a very ordinary boy, rather below the common standard in intellect."
More such stories? Albert Einstein did not speak until he was 4 years old and didn't read until he was 7. His teacher described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and adrift forever in his foolish dreams." He was eventually expelled and refused admittance to Zurich Polytechnic School. The University of Bern declined his Ph.D. dissertation as irrelevant and fanciful.
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The script for Star Wars was rejected by every movie studio in Hollywood before 20th Century Fox finally produced it. It went on to be one of the largest grossing movies in film history.
When former University of Georgia and NFL running back Herschel Walker wanted to play football in junior high, but the coach told him he was too small and recommended track instead. Never one to quit, Walker ignored the coach's advice and began an intensive training program to build himself up. Only a few years later, he won the prestigious Heisman trophy.
These are just a few examples of all the wildly successful people who failed before succeeding to such heights that they could rewrite the history books. Remember, we all fail at one time or another. That's life. And no matter whether our failures are large or small, we have to persist and keep fighting. We're all a "work in progress." Even the geniuses.
Here are two actionable ideas to help you keep fighting and pressing forward when the going gets tough.
1. Study the greats.
I am an avid reader. I read a new book every single week, but one of my favorite types of books is autobiographies. I enjoy reading about the incredibly successful who went on to change the world with how they lived their lives.
When you pick up an autobiography of one of the greats, you quicky realize the amount of persistence and fight they possesed, even in the face of extreme uncertainty and hardship. When I find myself going through a difficult time, one of the first things I do is pick up an autobiogrpahy of a world-class achiever.
Reading that individual's story reminds me of the power of never giving up, and passionately always fighting for what you believe in and desire. The next time you find yourself going through a difficult period in your life, pick up an autobiogrpahy, watch a documentary or find some way to study the greats. Success leaves clues.
2. Never lose sight of your major goals.
One of the first things that happens when people gets knocked down and come face to face with adversity is that they lose sight of the original goal or vision.
Instead, these individuals let the negativity they are currently experiencing come to the forefront of their minds, which prevents them from taking action and moving forward. I myself carry a notecard with me everywhere I go that has all of my major goals written on it. When I get knocked down, experience a negative curveball thrown my way or just lack the inspiration to keep fighting, I look over this notecard and am immediately connected to the grand vision I have that keeps me going.
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Do the same thing: Put your major goals into your phone, on the front of your computer screen and in your purse or wallet. All throughout the day, especially when the going gets tough, read over those major goals and remind yourself of the great vision that you have for your life. When you make it a priority to never lose sight of your major goals, there is nothing that can permanently hold you back.
