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Home > Resources by Kev > Articles
What You Need to Succeed Series
Success: It's Really Pretty Simple
PART III: What is Your Commitment to Solving Problems?
© 2005 By Kevin Wirth - all rights reserved worldwide
Word Count: 1501
Updated 03/04/05
Every once in awhile I stop and take a look at myself. No – I don’t mean in the mirror, I mean – I do an inventory of how I am looking at the issues I deal with. Have I let some circumstance or some event persuade me to give up on one of my dreams? Do I allow something to stop me from achieving what I set out to do? Am I 100% committed to my success? Do I use what I learn today to ensure my success tomorrow?
Just so you know - the title of this article isn't meant to suggest that no effort is required to achieve success. But - the formula for success is easy to state. Ever hear the expression, “Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration?”
I’m here to tell you that it’s true. If you want to succeed, one of the KEY components of any success formula is that you absolutely MUST have is the determination and commitment to make sure you don’t let anything stop you from achieving the success you are dreaming of and planning for (and yes – you need a plan!)
Whenever I run into an obstacle, hurdle, or challenge to success my instinctive reaction is not to run away or quit. My response is usually to visualize this hurdle as a huge stone blocking my path. I then visualize myself moving the stone, OR figuring out a way to get around it, over it, under it, or through it. What I always know about a hurdle is this: I can always find a way to get past it if I just look hard enough.
And when you really KNOW this, it gives you the confidence you need to succeed. And it sure helps if you learn this at an early age.
When my daughter Jeanna was growing up, she was constantly whining things like “But Daddy, I CAN’T”. If you let your kid grow up with this mentality – it sets them up for defeat before they even get started in life. So, I made a point of actually helping her to see a way to do what she said she couldn’t do. I would usually say to her
“Jeanna – did you even try?”
“Yeah Dad, I did, but it still didn’t work”
So I would just help her see another way to deal with whatever it was until she was able to resolve the matter. I essentially made her prove to herself that saying she couldn’t do something was usually a lot of baloney. I planted a seed. I will always recall with great fondness our reviews together after she had achieved her success.
“OK Jeanna, remember when you said that you couldn’t do this?”
“Yeah”
“Well, what did you just do?”
And I will never forget how, as soon as I would ask this question, she would suddenly smile, with a sparkle in her eye and say: “I did it”.
“And so what does that tell you”, I would usually say.
“That I CAN do it” she would say, now beaming.
The realization hit her like a ton of bricks. You could see the light go on. She had said she couldn't, but I showed her she COULD. She got it. And after helping her prove to herself that she could do almost everything she said she couldn't - it made a huge impression. Somewhere along the way, the idea of "I can't" simply didn't ring true anymore and so she gave up on the idea.
Fast forward a couple decades...
You should see her today at age 26. She is a dynamo of “Yes I can” and confidence (just look at her photo, below). She is a living, breathing problem solver. As an adult, she focuses on solutions, and doesn't let problems stop her. In fact, they barely cause her to blink. Whenever we talk I am absolutely blown away by what she has to say. She is ALWAYS talking about how she solved this or that problem! And her first response is almost always "this can be solved", instead of "I can't".
It’s such a stark and refreshing contrast to how she spoke as a child.
Here's Jeanna today
And it does my heart good – because I've been privileged to watch her change from a defeated little girl into a confident adult. Today, she has the knowledge that she CAN deal with the challenges life throws her way. Are you teaching YOUR child this valuable life lesson? The payoff is huge.
Enormous, in fact.
So let me give you an example of how this has played out in MY life.
There was a time when I worked as an IT contractor. I was a borderline DEC computer geek, and I was able to breathe life into computers others had given up for dead. It wasn’t because I was a genius – it was mostly because I was resourceful. I took notes on everything I learned the hard way over the course of years, and I created a notebook that I took with me everywhere I went. That notebook paid my salary for many years. Plus, I also kept a list of who I could call for help if I got stuck.
I often found myself working on projects and realizing that I couldn't always recall exactly what I did the last time I faced the same challenge. I began to realize that having access to my past solutions was going to be a vital key to my success in the future. So I took action and created that notebook. The reason I created my notebook is because I was committed to solving future problems I knew I was going to face. It didn't take a lot of brains to create the notebook - but it did require a little 'perspiration' on my part. It was evidence that I was committed to my future success.
One day, I got a call for a short contract assignment. I seems that several folks in a big government agency were not able to get one of their DEC systems working properly. And it was causing problems because it was winter time and the computer was designed to measure the water flow in several major streams throughout my state. Flood control was almost non-existent with this computer down.
I will never forget this assignment because as I was unpacking my briefcase someone who worked in the facility came up to me, sneered skeptically and said, “five people have already tried their best to fix this thing and have given up on it – so what makes you think YOU can do any better?”
Clearly, he didn't expect me to succeed.
I was a little bit taken aback by his comment, but, I quickly retorted with “Yeah, well, that’s because none of them were ME”.
And that’s how I began my work on this project. I mapped out my approach to how I planned to solve this problem, and figured out most of what was needed on my own. But when I hit a snag or two, I made a couple of support calls, and got in touch with someone who knew what I needed to resolve some of those challenges.
And within a couple of days, I was walking back out the door, mission accomplished. As I left, I passed by Mr. Cheerful and stopped long enough to ask “OK, so now please tell me why I succeeded and everyone else failed”. I was, of course, relishing the moment as I reminded him of his prediction that I would fail.
Stumped, he squinted and shrugged, saying “Geez, I dunno”.
I said “It’s because those other people didn't plan to succeed," I smiled, pointing to and tapping on my notebook.
My predecessors weren't much different than me. They probably had much the same experience I had. They were cetainly every bit (if not more) intelligent than I was.
But the one thing they weren't is the one thing I was: prepared to re-use what I had already learned.
In the end, that notebook made all the difference on this and other projects. I was prepared to solve many problems my predecessors weren't. Like I said, I succeeded not because I was a genius, but because I was resourceful.
What are you doing to help yourself meet the challenges you will face down the road? As you live in the present, it's always helpful to see ways to help yourself in the future, and take action on it. Doing this helps you find your way around, over, through, or under the obstacles you will face.
So, the path to success is really pretty simple:
1. define your dream or vision,
2. develop a plan to make it happen,
3. be 100% committed to the success of your plan,
4. work with others to provide support, and
5. never give up.
Do all this, and you will ultimately succeed.
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Kevin Wirth is the owner of KEVS-KORNER ezine, a free online newsletter offering articles, tips, resources, and insight on over 150 different marketing tactics. He is bringing together a growing community where you can work with others to create and market products online. To discover how Kevin can help you grow your online business, and get a free gift just for visiting, please head on over to www.kevs-korner.com.
For the complete index of articles by Kev, please click here.
This article first published on KEVS-KORNER March 3, 2005
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