The highly open secret to success
Winners come in all shapes and sizes. There are big winners, small winners, tall winners, short winners and medium winners. There are winners who win by luck and winners who win through hard work. But the most important winners are those who win continuously, regardless if they win by luck or preparation. You should examine these serial winners to learn to become productive and win the day. You should learn the most well know secret to their success - the right mindset.
Let’s talk about mindset.
There is a famous quote attributed to Henry Ford. It says, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you are right.” That powerful statement describes what it takes to get things done, packed all in one sentence. Henry Ford summarizes the concept of having the Right Mindset in thirteen words.
The right mindset begins inside your mind. How you approach a problem, idea, or thought will eventually determine your success at solving that problem or bringing that idea to life. If you start with “it’s impossible for me to …” you have already failed. Do you like failing right at the beginning? No, but that’s how many people think when faced with an unknown or difficult situation.
You weren’t always like this, though.
Perhaps it’s hard to remember now, but when you were a kid, the one thing you were for sure was curious and full of possibilities. You asked why and how; you wanted to know how things worked, why they worked. And most importantly, imagination led you to believe that anything was possible.
Most kids are like that, and then the parents and the world around them slowly transform their curiosity into a world of structure and certainty. They transform the kid’s world of infinite possibilities into the world of finite action.
And there is a reason for this. We do not live in a magical world where life can be made better by a wave of a wand. Nor do we have the answers to everything or want to know the answers to everything. However, in our haste to frame reality, we often trick ourselves into forgetting that the best way to live and move forward is to be curious, to ask questions and to be open to the possibility that you can achieve what you set out to achieve.
The right mindset begins with the basic truth: either you believe you can do it, or you believe that you can’t.
Another important factor of the right mindset is often ignored by many, failure. Failure in anything we do must be embraced. Without failure, we can’t move on. Without failure, we can’t learn. Without failure, we can’t win.
When JK Rowling lost her job, she could find another job she hated or give writing a chance. Something that she’d wanted to do for a long time. But it wasn’t as easy as it seems now. She sent the manuscript to dozens of publishers and had her manuscript rejected by one publisher after another. She could have stopped after rejection number thirty and gotten a job at the local grocery store. She didn’t. She persisted despite this failure. And now we have the pleasure of reading stories about Harry Potter and his friends.
Even though he started on the right foot, Soichiro Honda had difficulty getting his piston rings business off the ground. No one would buy the piston rights at first. After he managed to land a contract, WWII happened, and his factory was destroyed by one of the Allied bombing raids. He didn’t stop. Honda rebuilt the factory and got ready for work. Then an earthquake struck and destroyed the factory again. Soichoro never stopped. He rebuilt the factory again and continued innovating, ultimately growing his business to become the leader in automotive manufacturing.
Abraham Lincoln lost his job, was defeated in a state legislature race, failed at business, lost the vote to become House speaker, lost the nomination to run for senate twice, lost the senate race twice, and was defeated in the vote for the Vice Presidential nomination. He could have given up right there and then in 1858. The United States would not have been the same country we know today. He didn’t give up. He persevered despite his failures.
There are hundreds of thousands of examples of times when people failed but continued to work on their goals and dreams and eventually succeeded. There are also millions of examples of people trying, failing and stopping.
Continuing despite failures is what productivity and success are all about. Being productive and successful is hard work. The right mindset will get you going and keep you going despite the setbacks.
The right mindset has two components: believe that you can and learn from failure. And that is the secret to productivity and winning in anything you do. The right mindset is succinctly summarized by this Michael Jordan Quote:
“I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions, I have been entrusted to take the game-winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
