What is the meaning of faith?

 

How can we keep faith when we try to do things and it never seems to work?

 

Surely we should just accept our fate and give up?

 

Successful people seem to have luck on their side. Their self confidence and self belief seem to give them all the success they desire. But the truth is life probably hasn't always been easy for them. What we see now is the product of many years of hard work and focus on creating the success they now enjoy. That self confidence and optimism has come from the learning, learning through mistakes along their personal journey.

 

The fact is it is really only a numbers game. Anybody can achieve their dreams if they have the burning ambition, self confidence and are prepared to work hard enough.

 

How hard is hard enough?

 

We can use the example of skating. It can possibly take a hundred and fifty falls before becoming any good at skating. At a hundred and ten falls we decide to give it up believing that we don't possess the skills required. Yet if we knew that we only had to suffer another forty falls we wouldn't have packed it in.

 

The world is full of examples of successful people who persevered despite what seemed to be constant failure. Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb tried one thousand times before he made the bulb that worked. He never considered the other nine hundred and ninety nine efforts to be failures, just incorrect ways to build a light bulb.

 

Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company lost his fortune six times and yet recreated his wealth each time.

 

Walt Disney had his idea of Mickey Mouse rejected five times before Mickey became the most famous mouse in the world.

 

John Creasey, famous novelist had seven hundred and fifty three rejections before his books started hitting the best sellers list.

 

It's easy perhaps to believe that these aren't the typical person. But look at the examples in our own lives. As a child we wouldn't have learned to walk if we gave up after falling down a couple of times. Likewise, as we grew older we learned to drive. There would have been many mistakes made during our driving lessons yet we practiced persistence in order to get through our driving test.

 

This little story is one that I find a true motivator.

 

A man visited a famous success guru and asked him to point him in the direction of success. The guru pointed in the direction and off went the man to seek his fortune. Soon a loud bang was heard and the man returned to the guru somewhat frustrated and a little bruised.

 

"Please point me in the direction of success," the man pleaded with the guru.

 

He was shown the same direction as he previously went and although a little concerned he set off back in that same direction.

 

An even louder bang was heard and the man returned to the guru badly battered and very angry.

 

"Enough" said the man. "Speak to me now and tell me in which direction I will find success."

 

The guru again pointed in the same direction and said,

 

"Over there. Just beyond BANG."

 

Success is there for us all to achieve. We can see examples in our own lives and we can see it in others too. Persistence, motivation, optimism and self confidence are the main ingredients with persistence perhaps being the greatest of these.

 

How fantastic is that?

 

Terry Norrington